Suspicious
by NessaSan7
Summary: Something about the new college's janitor just seems suspicious. Gabriel/OC
1. 01 - Suspicious

The sun had just begun to rise over fluffy, deep-orange clouds, when you walked over the empty college campus. A light cool wind was breezing through your hair as you yawned quietly. You could have just as well yawned out loud though. There was no soul out here yet, in fact you were much too early. But you always were. You just hated to storm in with the whole crowd, swimming in the middle of a noisy mess. Being there first, allowed you to peacefully arrive and avoid all that daily chaos. That was worth it for you, getting up earlier. You pulled the door to the main building open, stepping into the unlit corridor of entrance A.

It was your third day at this college. Home was hundreds of miles away, and you couldn't exactly say that you settled in yet. You had moved into a small apartment with two other girls that you didn't know before. Actually you didn't know anyone in this whole city. Hell, not even in that state. It was a little weird to feel so all alone, but on the other hand, you'd have all time to yourself, not having to deal with anyone's problems. Getting to know new people wasn't exactly easy for you, since all those little groups and gangs of 'hip' kids weren't your world. You weren't some kind of weirdo or misfit, but you preferred to hang with your own kind of people. Finding and befriending such, was a little more challenging usually. You would find someone though. You were sure of it. Maybe even the girls you lived with, weren't so bad. The next days would show.

You walked down the aisle, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate you had bought at the bakery around the corner, along with your breakfast. Not the best substance to get awake in the morning, but you liked it better than coffee. The building was a little confusing to you. Everything seemed to look the same. The walls, painted in an eggshell-white, were screaming nothingness at you and the light gray linoleum, that squeaked so unpleasantly, was laid in every room. Empty as it was now, it slightly reminded of a hospital. An old hospital. You tried to guide yourself by the room numbers, searching for a way to room 314. Walking past 024, you reached a cross-way with stairs going up and down. You put your free hand on the winding wooden handrail, stretching your head up, trying to see the numbers of the upper floor. You winced when the perfect silence was broke by the crackling sound of plastic somewhere. Your ears immediately located it coming from below. Was there really someone else being crazy enough to be here already? Your eyes moved from the up-going stairs on your right, to the left ones leading into the basement.

You slowly leaned back a little, peeking down like is was forbidden.

There was a man dressed in blue work-clothes standing there, holding a mop in one hand, using the other to tuck a piece of plastic wrapper into his pocket. The orange morning sun was shimmering in the wet floor around him. A long second passed before he noticed your presence, turning his head up to you.

»U-uh...« you breathed in, trying to decide what to say.

He was chewing on what sounded like a sticky caramel, raising his brows. The sun made his eyes light up in an amazing shade of gold. The whole picture was so out of place, that it took you a few seconds too long to get yourself together.

»Uhm, good morning.« Finally made it out of your mouth.

The man, that was most likely the janitor, kept his eyes on your face, swallowing the rest of his snack, before giving you a somewhat impish smile.

»Good morning, Ma'am.« He replied, sounding amused in a way.

»Uh... the room uhm... 314 is up the stairs, I guess...?« You pointed your index finger up, looking helpless.

He moved his jaw to the left, slightly nodding. His eyes had focused on your cocoa now, and it seemed as if he tried to catch the smell of it, looking quite concentrated for a second. Then though, as if he woke from a daydream, his eyes snapped back to you, wide open.

»Jepp. Third floor, right wing. Can't miss it.« He made it sound confident.

»Thanks.« You smiled a bit, turning away to finally get there.

You found it where the guy had told you it would be. Sitting down on the floor, leaning against the wall, you waited for the awful crowd to come.

The day had passed quickly and the next morning you awoke just as early. You had to find another room today, but it was on the same floor so you were confident about finding it on your own this time.

As you stepped out of your bedroom and into the kitchen, you almost ran into Debra, one of your two roommates.

»Oh...hey. Up already...?« You looked her over.

Debra was a very tall, slender young woman, looking older than she was. Her shoulder-long, dark-brown hair was a complete mess right now, eyes expressing pure indifference. She was staring at the coffee machine, waiting for the pot to fill. You were wondering what she did last night, but you wouldn't ask. Her gaze was glued to her boiling life elixir, she was pointing at now.

»...want some?« she raised one brow, still not looking at you.

You looked at the pitch black, steaming liquid, twitching with your upper lip.

»Uhh...no, but thank you.« You cleared your throat, grabbing your bag.

»See ya later.«

Debra just shrug as the door closed behind her.

Once again you made your way to the campus, only stopping at the bakery to get your treats.

Your mood was good, no idea why. Even though this wasn't a sunny day. Thick gray clouds had formed, making it a gloomy morning. No rays of golden sunlight to light your way this time. But whatever. Can't be like that every day. Entering the college though, you had to admit, the hallway was really a dark tunnel now. It was practically nighttime in here. You just now noticed how your footsteps echoed in the emptiness. A weird contrast it was, thinking of yesterday. Well, you just had to get up those stairs and turn right. No big deal. That's what you told yourself, picking up the pace. Making your way past a lot of doors, the stairway appeared in sight. Wonderful. You speed-walked by now, feeling like a child that has to traverse the cellar without a light. Almost there! Just a few more-

» _Woah!_ «

A surprised voice shouted out from the right.

» _KYAAHH!_ «

You jumped away from it to the left, feeling your feet slip away on wet linoleum.

With a dull sound your body hit the ground, a sharp pain shooting from your left hip up through the rest of you.

»Gnnh...« When you opened your eyes, the shape of a man appeared over you. You squinted, realizing it was the janitor. He was looking at you, worried, but then raised an eyebrow.

»Good catch, missy.«

He was pointing at your cup, and you realized that you had held it up like a trophy, not a single drop spilled. Like a miracle. The man reached for upper arm, pulling you back up on your feed.

»Really sorry 'bout that...but...uhm... you are _really_ early.«

As your eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, you saw that he had just begun to wipe the floor of the long corridor. You were rubbing your butt, before picking up your bag.

»Are you alright...?« He was tilting his head to the right, to see your face.

You looked up a bit, facing him with a baffled expression on you. Those eyes that had shined like gold yesterday, looked different without the light. Still they had something to them that paralyzed you for a moment. What was it with this dude? The sound of raindrops starting to fall outside, broke the spell.

»Y-yeah. I'm fine.« You pressed your bag against you, quickly moving on to the stairs.

You felt your cheeks heat up, realizing you just slipped and fell on your ass in front of someone. How embarrassing was that? Good thing, there was only the janitor guy, not the whole damn college. Though that man gave you a weird feeling that grew the more you thought about him. It was just a feeling, but as you reached the third floor, one thought popped up in your mind, making your eyebrows narrow. Your pace slowed down, moving along the aisle.

Who the hell wipes a floor in almost total darkness?

There was no logical answer to that, no matter how you tried to explain it to yourself. What a weirdo. You finally found your room, about to sit down on the floor again, when you noticed something. You had forgotten your books at home. The strange picture of zombie Debra had distracted you so much, that you didn't take them from the table. Damn it. Well, at least being early really paid off for once. If you hurried a little, you would still make it back in time. Crowd or not.

You emptied your hot chocolate quickly, tossing the cup into a trash bin. Then you ran down the stairs again, prepared to run into the janitor once more. But when you reached the ground floor, what you saw instead made you stop in astonishment. The whole endless hallway was cleaned and still wet, making it look like a frozen road. The janitor was nowhere to be seen. Was that even possible? No way. You moved your head from left to right, carefully stepping onto the perfectly clean floor. This was starting to become creepy. Running was out of the question now, so you decided so slowly make it back to the door, when a sound caught your attention. It sounded like laughing people, echoing in the corridor to your left. It made the whole situation even more awkward. Like a strange nightmare. You looked into the shady aisle, your curiosity growing by the minute. What was going on here? Something made you want to find out.

You sneaked into the left wing slowly, acting like an intruder. You located the voices coming from another corridor. Once you came closer, you realized, it was the sound of a TV. When you stretched your head around the corner, you saw soft light shining out of a door. The people on the TV show were laughing again, making it sound like a sitcom. Your heart was beating loudly in your ears now, while you walked closer to the room. You swallowed a lump and finally peeked inside.


	2. 02 - It's Cake

What you were looking into was a rather small room, filled with cleaning supplies and a desk standing in the middle. There were brooms, mops, cloths, dozens of chemicals and buckets. It wouldn't have been special if a few things didn't seem so out of place. The TV you had heard was a tiny model, sitting on a shelf next to the table. A colorful show was on, lighting the room sparely. There was someone watching TV in the morning, in a dirty little lumber-room? You frowned incredulously when your eyes fell on the table. There were hundreds of empty candy wrappers piled up on it. Almost the same amount could be found on the floor. Some dirty plates and silverware had just been pushed aside. You saw a lot of magazines and newspapers too. Most of them looked like tabloids and comics to you. You liked comics. And for a second you were curious which ones those were.

»Looking for something, Missy?«

You span around, thunderstruck. Just to look into that same face again. Mr. Janitor had appeared out of nowhere again, somehow. Had you been that distracted really? You noticed the slice of dark-brown cake on a plate, he was holding. It looked like Sacher Cake. And it looked delicious.

»Want some?« He grinned, noticing were your eyes had moved.

»U-uh.« Your cheeks turned scarlet red.

Suddenly you felt like a child being lured with candy before being abducted. A shiver ran down your spine, looking into that guys face, only half lit from that stupid TV show. The laughing people seemed to be laughing about you now. About your stupid decision to come here. Your stupid idea of entering this cursed building so damn early. The sound of growling thunder outside gave you the rest. You felt the strong need to escape this place. Right now.

»I-I need to...go...u-upstairs.« Quickly turning away, you walked away as fast as you could, without running.

You decided to forget about the books. Instead you made your way back to the room on the third floor and... well... switched on the lights. You hadn't turned around a single time, until you had reached it. What the hell gave you the creeps like that? A janitor? If it was a janitor. You were surprised about your own thought.

Okay, just get yourself together. Don't be silly. What could it possibly be? A sugar monster? Somehow you couldn't even laugh about it.

Forgetting your books eventually turned out a good thing. A girl sitting in the last row had invited you to share hers, and she seemed to be nice. The type of girl you would call invisible. She was slim and short, her brown hair braided at the back of her head, gray eyes looking through big glasses. Her name was Margaret, but you already decided to call her Margie.

When you left the room after the lessons, you noticed a newspaper she was carrying with her. It seemed to the college's own thing.

»Is it good?« You pointed at it.

»Oh... uhm, usually I don't buy it. But... this issue... well... was... interesting.« she seemed slightly embarrassed.

»Yeah? What was it about?«

»Well... « She was scratching her cheek with one finger.

»A few weeks before we came her... some weird things happened here. I mean... there's probably a logical explanation to all that...« she was laughing a little, blushing even more.

»I guess I just like creepy stories.«

You raised an eyebrow.

»Wait, what does that mean? Weird things?«

»It means there's something going on here! Something _supernatural_!« A blond boy had sneaked up on Margie, making her wince.

»S-stop that Dan. Don't be silly.« She was looking away from him.

»Supernatural? You mean like... ghosts?« You tried to find out if he was just trying to be funny.

»Maybe. But more likely not.«

»What happened anyway?«

The boy was leaning a little closer to you, lowering his voice.

»Two students disappeared. Another one left the college. They say he's in the nuthouse now.«

Margie was rolling her eyes, pulling you away from the grinning Dan.

»Don't listen to him. He's totally into that whole monster nonsense.«

Monsters? Now it was safe to say, that this had been the weirdest day ever.

Maybe the janitor kidnapped them. You wanted to make a joke to yourself, but somehow it just made you uneasy.

Margie and Dan accompanied you for a part of the way back home. It was strange how Margie would say Dan was an idiot for what he said, and yet she read that newspaper, totally interested in it. The boy with the short, light-blond hair, seemed to be more into the matter. He was chewing on gum, hands in his pockets.

»So... if... _whatever_... would wanna... let some students disappear...« You waved your head around.

»It would probably disguise itself... right? «

»Uh...yeah. If it can.« He shrugged.

»As a human... possibly?«

»Maybe.«

* * *

You had a sleepless night behind you, thinking about monsters, ghosts and such. And of course about your speed-cleaning nightmare of a janitor. You decided to break the routine and arrive a little later today. If just for not running into that imp again. You put your books into your bag this time and stepped into the kitchen.

»Oh Tina, please...«

Debra was sitting on her usual chair, her head resting on her hand. She was looking awful again.

»What?! He made a decision, Debbie.«

Tina, Debra's best friend, a bleach blonde with a pixie-cut, was standing by the fridge, arms crossed.

»Why can't you find yourself a guy that's free? Just for once, no drama.« Debra seemed annoyed.

»Oh come on. Have you seen that girl? I'm simply the better choice.«

»You are horrible.«

»What?!«

That was enough for your ears. You sneaked out of the apartment, leaving them alone.

When you reached the campus this morning, it was pretty full already. As much as you hated it, it was better then another horror-trip. You entered the right room without any adventures and tried not to think of anything 'supernatural'. Margie wasn't in your course today, but you would hopefully meet her at lunch break.

When it was 01:00 PM, you made your way to the cafeteria. It was the first time you didn't bring your own food. The place was pretty packed at that time, but you fought your path through the people and finally got yourself a burger and some veggies. Just what you needed today. You found an empty table at a window, that actually had a nice view. You smiled to yourself. And to your burger. And it seemed to be smiling back, so good it looked. You took the biggest bite of it and enjoyed.

»May I?«

You almost choked on it.

Mr. Janitor had just sat down across from you. Happily smiling. As always.

You froze, getting goosebumps everywhere. This was a bad joke. Right?

»The burgers are good here.« He pointed at your meal.

You slowly started chewing again, just slightly nodding. On his plate, there was another piece of cake, cheesecake in fact, and a brownie. While he started eating, you dared to lift your eyes and look at him.

He wasn't exactly a tall man. Average built. His blond hair slightly curling up at his neck. The sun was making it shine just as golden as his eyes. You had to admit, he was actually sort of handsome. For a demon janitor.

Looking at his so-called lunch, you just couldn't keep it to yourself.

»Cake again.«

He looked up from his feast, smiling broadly.

»I love cake. I mean... it's cake. Right?«

You lifted a brow.

»They... don't... sell that here, do they...?«

»Nah. I bring my own.« He glanced at you, giving you a mysterious expression.

»Here, you gotta try.« Without letting you say anything, he split the cake in half and put one piece onto your plate.

»Uh... thanks.« You tried to smile, not sure anymore if you should find this weird or just nice.

You pushed away the thoughts about him, intoxicating you and making you disappear. You shoved a fork full of cake into your mouth. It was delicious for sure. Perfect. You tried to remember when you last ate a cake so good.

»Not bad, huh?« He read it in your face.

You nodded, chewing.

Then he took his brownie and stood up.

»Gotta get back to work. See ya around.« with that he left, leaving you puzzled.

* * *

Hey people! :) In case that will be deleted for being the wrong format, you can still read at deviantart username NESSASAN


	3. 03 - Gabriel

You weren't able to find Margie anywhere and you didn't see Dan either, so you decided to call after finishing your lunch.

»Hello?«

»Margie? Where are you? I waited for you in the cafeteria.«

»Oh, I'm sorry, we've been sent home. Professor Evans is sick...or something.«

Margie sounded a little unsure to you.

»Or... _something_?«

»Yeah... well... Lauren said she saw him in the building and...«

»...and?«

»...he acted strange... and a few others pulled him into his office. She said, he looked terrified.«

»Huh...weird. Okay, well... see you tomorrow then, bye.«

»Bye.«

A minute later you were on your way to the professors office. Actually it was completely unusual for you to go check something like that out. You knew you shouldn't go there. But something told you it might have to do with those disappearances and that made you too curious. You asked a boy in the hallway where to find it, and soon you stood near the door that said "Professor Sean Evans". Luckily, it wasn't closed completely. You placed yourself close to the wall and listened to the voices of at least three people inside.

»Come on Sean, calm down already.« A woman tried you sound composed.

»Calm down?! How the hell am I supposed to be calm now?!« The professor sounded mad.

»She's right Sean, relax. I'm sure you were just overtired and...« Another man talked to him.

»I'm not overtired! And I didn't hallucinate, okay?!«

»Okay, but-«

»There were snakes in the restroom! A whole bunch of them! Everywhere!«

»Sean, please!«

»I HATE snakes!« He almost whimpered.

»We looked, there were no snakes, okay?«

»But they were there! I locked myself in a cubicle and when I stepped back out, they were gone!«

The two others seemed to be out of ideas.

»And...the mirrors...they were fogged. And someone had written on them.«

»...written what?«

»It... it said... _'Do it again – you die'_.«

»... do... _what_ again...?«

»...I-I don't know...«

Snakes in the restroom? If it wasn't a grown man telling that story, you would have called it bullshit. And messages written onto fogged mirrors? That just were so cliché. But the professor sounded truly terrified and traumatized. You turned around and headed back to your room, pondering. A bunch of living snaked were a little too much to be a prank. But if there were any, they definitely didn't write that message. It just didn't add up.

When you came back home that evening, you found Debra in the kitchen again. She was holding her cellphone to her ear, not speaking. After a while, she hung up, looking stressed out.

»Damn, Tina.«

You put your bag on the table, walking over to the fridge to get a coke.

»Something wrong?« You looked to Debra.

»Tina is wrong. She didn't come back from the supermarket in the morning. And I cannot reach her since. If she went to that stupid idiot again, without telling me... I'll kill her.«

You were wondering if this was a good time to make conversation. Debra was still a stranger to you.

»Stupid idiot? Her boyfriend?«

Debra laughed sarcastically.

»More like her lover. The guy has a girlfriend. And she knows he's cheating on her.«

»Wow...so... Tina is stealing that guy away from her?« It sounded like a bad TV soap.

»She wants too. But he won't leave his girl, and she won't dump him. She's devastated, but too weak to break up. The sensitive type. Poor girl.«

»And Tina doesn't care?«

»She wants him, no matter what. Baaad karma.« Debra was sighing.

* * *

The next day's lecture was so monotonous and boring, you almost fell asleep. The thought of lunch break was the only thing that made you happy. When the professor turned off the projector finally, you jumped up and quickly found yourself at the cafeteria, sitting at the same spot as yesterday. You hadn't brought food again, since you spent the rest of yesterday on the internet, trying to find out if snakes could come out of the toilet somehow. It was unlikely. You just bit into a delicious hot dog, when someone took the opposite seat again.

»Hey there.« The janitor said, putting his plate on the table.

Your jaw dropped open, a piece of sausage falling out. You quickly closed your mouth, swallowing your bite.

The guy smiled at his food that was, what surprise, cake. This time however it were two pieces of apple pie.

Before you realized it, one of them had been put on your plate.

»For you. You'll like it.« He grinned.

You looked up, your cheeks blushing a little.

»Y-you brought that for me...?«

»I saw how you liked the cheese cake.« He looked at you as if he could read you.

»I've got plenty of it. So why eat it all alone.«

You suddenly felt a little bad for calling him a demon in your thoughts.

»Thank you... uhm...« You looked at him, realizing you didn't even know his name.

»Gabriel.« He said, starting to eat his cake.

You nodded.

»(y/n).«

You ate your cake, truly enjoying every bite of it. It was even better than the one from yesterday. And it was fresh. Even warm. Wait, how the hell could it be warm? Didn't he say, he brought it? You didn't see an oven in his, still crazy, candy cave. You decided not to think about it too much. After all you just got an awesome piece of cake, for free. Instead you brought up another topic.

»... have you heard about... Professor Evans...?« you said quietly, still eating.

»Jepp.« He finished his piece.

»I've heard... he has been threatened.« You slightly looked up.

Gabriel was cleaning his teeth with his tongue.

»Hmh. Not surprised about that. Was a matter of time.«

»Huh?... Uhm, what?« You had a baffled look on your face now.

He moved his eyes to the right, remaining silent for a while. Then he looked at you again, leaning forward.

»He's a pervert. He's watching the girls in the gym's changing room through a hole.«

A doubtful frown formed on your face.

»How do you know that?«

»I'm the janitor. I saw him.« He lifted his brows.

»So... why didn't you tell the...management?«

He tilted his head to the side, smiling a bit.

»If I did, I'd probably be fired just for accusing a professor of such a thing.«

He then took his empty plate and stood up.

»But as I said, it was a matter of time.«

He walked away, smiling.

Just when Gabriel had left, Margie appeared, Dan following her. She pointed at your plate.

»Wow, cake?«

»Uh...yeah...hehe...«

Somehow you didn't feel like telling her, that you just had lunch with the janitor. For the second time. You would have a lot to explain.

»Hey Dan, what would you say, If someone told you that he ran into a bunch of snakes in the restroom?«

Dan looked up from his peanut butter sandwich and chuckled.

»I'd say he's nuts.«

»Why do you ask that?« Margie gave you a suspicious look.

»That's what happened to professor Evans, according to him.«

Now Dan stopped grinning.

»Seriously?«

»Yeah. I heard him tell that to his colleagues.«

»But... he is such a serious guy...« Margie said to Dan, who frowned.

He put the whole rest of his sandwich in his mouth and mumbled.

»I gotta go look something up.« with that he jumped up and left the room.

»Is he always like that?«

Margie nodded.

There was nobody to be heard or seen for a change, when you opened the door to your apartment. It was dead silent. Heavenly. You threw your bag into a corner of the room and went into the living room. There were a million things on your mind after all that had happened. Maybe you should just let it be. None of it was your business after all. Not even that Gabriel. He was a creepy mystery, but hey, you got cake. You let yourself fall onto the couch, staring to the ceiling. Warm cake was dancing in front of your eyes, reflecting in wet college floors. All that crazy nonsense soon made you fall asleep.

* * *

Hey people! :) In case that will be deleted for being the wrong format, you can still read at deviantart username NESSASAN


	4. 04 - Tonight

Your beautiful deep sleep was abruptly ended, when the front door flew open. You jumped up from the couch in shock, looking around you, still half asleep. The clock said it was 12:43 PM. When you entered the kitchen again, you found your two roommates. Debra was standing next to Tina, who was sitting on a chair, wiping something out of her friend's face, with a wet cloth. Tina looked horrible. Her blue pullover was covered with dirt and dust, her shoes and lower legs drenched in mud. She was pale as a sheet, her expression almost blank. There was fear in her eyes though, and as you came a step closer you noticed, that what Debra was trying to clean off of Tina's face, was blood. What you saw made you freeze. It was everywhere. All over her face, in her blonde hair, on her shoulders.

»...come on...Tina...« Debra was trembling almost as much as Tina.

»What the hell happened? Where have you been?«

You slowly made it to the table, to sit on another chair.

»W-what is going on...?« You had to swallow.

Debra gave you a desperate look.

»I don't know. Tina called me an hour ago. I picked her up on Oak Street, at the other side of the city.

On the phone she... she was in panic.«

»In panic? Why?«

You turned your head to Tina, who had suddenly started crying. He lower lip was shaking.

»B-B... Bryan...he...«

Debra's face turned into a frown.

»What? What did he do? Did _he_ do this to you?!« Anger filled her voice.

But Tina was shaking her head, crying even more.

»...he's _dead!_ «

Debra took a look at you, completely in shock. But your face looked the same.

»Woah... what do you mean he's... _dead_?« You tried to meet Tina's eyes, but it was impossible.

»W-we were... in...in the woods... we...took a walk and...« The terror in her expression grew even further.

»...it... it was... _him_.«

»Him? Him, who?« Debra put a hand on Tina's shoulder, who lifted her hand, trying to adumbrate something.

»That big guy... w-with the... hockey mask.«

»What?«

»With the... the machete.«

Your eyes widened in disbelieve.

»You mean... _Jason_?«

»Yes!« Tina cried out, tears rolling down her face.

Debra looked like she felt spoofed now.

»A fictional horror-film monster... killed Bryan?«

»It is true! He suddenly just stood there! He was giant! And the next thing I saw was Bryan's head being chopped off! Blood splashing everywhere!«

»O-okay...uh...« Debra stood up.  
»I... will take you to the police. They will... find out...what happened.«

It was hard to tell what Debra was thinking right now. In a way you knew that she tried to believe Tina after all. But it was hard for her to do. It was even harder to tell if she rather hoped for Bryan to be alive or actually dead. After the two had left the apartment again, you opened up your laptop to write a mail. This was way too weird to be a coincidence. Snakes and movie murderers? Something was wrong here. You wrote down the whole Jason story and sent it to Dan.

Was there really something... _supernatural_ going on here?

Or were Tina and the professor just a little crazy? Both? It just didn't make any sense. You downed a big glass of cold coke and tried to think straight. There was an explanation to everything. Right?

Ten minutes later you received an answer.

'Hey lady,

that is very interesting, considering what I just found out myself. Remember the student that was sent to the asylum? I managed to speak to one of his old friends. Guess why he went to the nuthouse?

He had told the police, the headless horseman beheaded his friends and chased him through the park.  
The other guys have never been found.

There's something going on here. I've got some theories, but I could use some more information. The college's library is really good. Better than most libraries. But the really old, valuable books, they don't let any student touch. If I could only get my hands on some of those. It's a shame. :-('

Your brain ran like a machine. The library. In the college.

Before you even realized it, you were on your way to the campus. It was such a dumb idea. What were you even about to do? Well, people were dying. As if you could stop that! What if it hit you one day? Like the others? Why Tina? And the professor? Why not you? It could happen. So... it was some sort of self-defense, right? After all you probably were mostly curious. Everything was spinning around, but soon you stood in front of the entrance to the main building. Of course there was no way of getting through these doors. So you sneaked around the corner, hiding behind the bushes. It took like forever until you finally got lucky. There was a little cellar window that wasn't locked properly. One last time you considered letting it be. But it was too late now. You pushed the window open, as silent as possible and climbed in, feet first.

When your feet hit the ground, you found yourself in a little storage room, filled with old chairs and tables. Luckily, the door wasn't locked, so you could go on with your crazy trip. You turned on the light of your cellphone and quietly walked through the basement. There was no denying this was the creepiest thing you had ever done. And the riskiest. And dumbest. On the other hand you had been here before when it was almost as dark and spooky. At least it was dry now. You soon found the stairs to go up to the ground floor. From there, the library was just a few steps away. The biggest problem though, you realized when you found it was locked. Of course it was. Okay, think. You are so close. How do you get in there? With a key. Good. Who has a key to all the doors in here...?

You didn't like the answer to this. But you knew it was the only chance you had.

Good thing you had seen his little room already. You quickly found it again, and just as you remembered, it had one of those simple doors without a lock. It was obvious this room wasn't meant to be an office. But you knew it was used as one. It was probably the college's stinginess. Or maybe the guy was just as crazy as you thought. You opened the door and stepped in to look around. It didn't take you long to find the board with keys on the wall, next to the door. Once you found the library key, you quickly rushed back to it. Damn, you could be one successful burglar. The whole thrill of it had made you forget that you indeed just broke into your college to steal a book. You unlocked the door and finally stood in the library. You already imagined Dan's face. To get to the older books you had to reach the very end of the long room and open a sliding gate. There you were.

It took you at least ten minutes and you almost gave up, when you finally held something interesting in your hands. It was a very old-looking book covered in brown leather. There was nothing but a strange symbol on the front side, but the index said something about magic entities, deities and spirits. It was the best thing you could find, so you put it into your bag, ready to get the hell out of here. You turned around to leave, when the brightness of a flashlight in your face made you jump back in shock. You hit the shelf behind you hard, a few books fell to the floor. Damn. You couldn't see anything before the person in front of you moved the light out of your sight.

»Can't get enough of school, sugar?«

Impossible. It is Friday night, so what the hell...?

»G-Gabriel...?« You tried to smile innocently, but that wasn't exactly your strength.

»It's the weekend...hehe... what do you do here...?«

He grinned slightly, pointing up.

»I live in the same building, sweetheart.«

For Christ's sake. What curse had been laid on you? Either way you had to come up with a good excuse now. Quick.

»Uhh...look...« You breathed out, as if you surrendered.

»I... I try to make... friends here...and...«

He gave you an asking face, waiting for your story.

»This... is... something like... a dare.« You tried to look sorry.

»You know... get in here... get a random book... get out with it.«

He was still looking at you, waiting.

Okay, you had to give it your all. You stepped a bit closer to him, folding your hands, begging.

»P-please don't tell anyone! I would have given it back! I'm not a thief! I know it was a bad idea...and...«

You lowered your head.

»I'm sorry.«

There was a moment of complete silence.

»You... broke into the building, entered my office, stole a key out of it and got into the library to steal a book... and you want me to just let you get away with it... Hmh.«

You waited like a minute, not daring to look up again. Your heart had dropped somewhere you couldn't feel it anymore. What the hell had you been thinking? By tomorrow you'd be kicked. All for that stupid child's play.

»Fine.«

You blinked.

»F-fine...?« Finally you looked at him again.

»Yeah. Well... on one condition.«

Uh-oh. Now he got you. You had a feeling like a nightmare was about to start. What could he possibly want from you? Your lunch money? A bag of candy every day? Wiping the floors for him every morning?

»You are asking for a lot. But as you know, I'm generous. All I want is... three little favors.«

Gabriel was smiling as if he was having fun.

»Three... favors?«

Your lunch money, a bag of candy every day _AND_ Wiping the floors for him every morning?

»Jupp. When I need them. The first one... you can grant me... _tonight_.«

* * *

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	5. 05 - Sweet Things

»T-tonight...? Like...now?«

You blanched a little at that expression. You were all alone with this guy in a locked building in the middle of the night, and nobody knew. He seemed creepier than ever to you and you felt like a mouse in a trap. But what would happen if you refused? Exclusion, no doubt. If he even let you go. It felt like making a deal with a demon. Wait, what if he _was_ one?

»Have dinner with me.«

You turned your head to him, giving him a really dumb look now.

»D-dinner...? Uh... now?«

»Well...« He rolled his eyes up, shrugging.

»I call it... midnight-dinner.«

Your brain had turned itself off, preventing it from overheating.

Seriously?

»...uh...«

Gabriel acted debonair as always and took your bafflement as a yes. He turned around smiling, waving his hand as a sign to follow.

»I'm having a buffet, you'll like it.«

He was strolling ahead happily.

»... a buffet...?« You followed without even noticing.

»Jupp.«

Wow. The more time you spent with this guy, the weirder he got. You went upstairs with him, walking a long aisle into another part of the big building. Some part of you knew that this was so wrong. Following some almost complete stranger home. The demon thought popped up in your mind again. Maybe _you_ were the dinner. Would fill a buffet. You realized how poorly prepared you were. How would you even fight a demon? You had no clue. A cross maybe? Not like you had one. Still thinking about that, Gabriel stopped in front of a door, unlocking it with one of the keys he was carrying around on his belt. He opened the door, looking over his shoulder.

»Hope you're hungry.«

You actually were, after all that drama. When you stepped into the little apartment, you expected either a big mess of candy wrappers and... well candy... or some sort of devil's bunker. Compared to that, what you saw was pretty... normal. You looked right into the living room that had a little couch, an armchair, a glass table and a nice flat screen on the wall, which was papered with some indescribable black and white pattern. The floor was made of chess pattern tiles in the whole room, including the kitchen to your left. It all looked a little retro, and you weren't sure if it was so odd on purpose or just a hint of bad taste.

Before you knew it, Gabriel had put a plate in your hand, pointing to the kitchen table, you just now noticed. It wasn't very large, but fully packed with all kinds of sweet things. There were different pies, muffins, donuts and cupcakes, cookies, pudding and all kinds of fruit, some of them chocolate-coated. It was like something out of a little child's dream. Colorful and delicious. Yet so very sweet it gave you diabetes just by looking at it.

A sin for sure. And your little demon suspect was standing right there, putting a bit of everything onto his plate, smiling in felicity.

»Go ahead.«

You slowly approached the sugar buffet, completely overstrained with the decision. After another moment, you had picked a piece of pie, a cupcake and some chocolate strawberries. Gabriel hat already moved on, sitting in the armchair in the living room. When you turned around to him, he pointed to the sofa, wanting you to sit down. As you noticed, he didn't even own a dining table. Looks like he always ate that way.

»Not bad, huh?« He smiled raptly.

»Well... no.« You made a short laughing sound, barely looking at him.

It was still pretty strange, sitting here on creepy janitor's couch, eating treats from a rich kid's birthday party, in the middle of the night. You eyed your pink-frosted cupcake.

»So... you're having a buffet... just for yourself...?«

»Sometimes.«

»But...why?« You grimaced.

»Why not?«

It seemed impossible to have a 'normal' conversation with this man. What the hell was wrong with him?

»Well... you cannot eat it all. So it's a waste.«

»Most of the stuff you can freeze.«

Something snapped in your brain and yesterday's perfectly fresh cake appeared in front of your inner eye.

» _You don't freeze anything._ «

You had said it absolutely certain. And you were. Gabriel had slowed down his chewing. Something in the glance he gave you now, was sending a shiver down your spine. It felt like these light brown eyes could impale you. The sudden silence was broken by the sound of tiny little steps coming around the sofa. When you looked to your right, you found a little dog already sitting next to you. The black and white terrier was looking at you, tilting it's head to the side.

»Oh... hey there!« You turned to the little guy, your face lightening up.

You loved dogs. Almost any animal, actually.

»What's it's name?«

»Archie.«

You had expected something like Biscuit, Cookie or Waffles to be honest. Hearing his name, the dog jumped off the couch and over to his master, leaping onto his lap. He wagged it's tail in pure happiness while Gabriel rubbed him behind the ears. Something about that picture was so lovely, it made your whole conspiracy construction fall into pieces. If anything would be able to sense evil, it would be an animal, right? All of a sudden all those dark thoughts you had, seemed so ridiculous. That grinning man with his cakes and sweets and his little dog and the tendency to share everything. You had made him appear him in such a bad light. After all, maybe he was just kind of lonely.

You looked back at your plate, finally starting to eat. So far he had done nothing bad to you. In fact, he had been extremely nice actually. You were the crazy one.

»So you live here all alone?« You tried to make conversation again.

»No.« He said like you had asked the most stupid question ever.

You raised your brows, looking surprised.

»With Archie.«

You looked at him for two seconds, before starting to laugh. You just couldn't help it. He chuckled, still petting the dog. Gabriel became more human by the minute. Although he still had that mysterious vibe around him. Maybe it was chemistry. Now that you tried to look at him from another perspective, he was actually kind of likeable to you. It made you wonder what he was about besides the passion for sugar. Your eyes scanned the room.

»That's a nice TV you're having.«

»You like it?« He smirked again.

»Hell, who wouldn't?«

He took the remote from the table turning the large flat screen on.

»You know what I love to watch?«

He zapped until finding a certain channel. There was a black-haired man on the screen, most likely Italian. He was dressed like a cook, but you soon understood that he was working at a bakery. Him and some other people were building a giant cake that looked like a dinosaur. The janitor watched this, looking absolutely fascinated. Like a scientist watching a new species. You had to grin to yourself.

»You really have a weakness for the sweet things, huh?«

He turned his head to you.

»Obviously. Why else would you be here.«

You blushed in an instant, quickly turning your face back to the screen. But the cake-T-Rex couldn't stop your heart from racing like an idiot. What the hell. Find another topic. Quickly.

Before you could bring something up, he did.

»What do _you_ like to watch?«

»U-uhm... well uh... I... I like... a lot of things...uhm... like...horror... or uh...«

»Horror movies?«

»Uh, yeah. Kind...of...«

It was true. Though of course, that wasn't all that you watched. You quickly put the last strawberry in your mouth. You've had enough. Your head was spinning like crazy and it was far too late. Once you had gulped down everything, you stood up.

»I eh... I have to go now.« You really needed to get out of here now. Breathe.

»Well... it is late already.« Gabriel stood up as well, putting the dog down.

A few minutes later you stood in the hallway again and he opened the front doors to let you out.

»Thank you for the food... and everything...«

The janitor looked happy with himself.

»It was a pleasure, sweetheart.«

You smiled a bit, but quickly turned away to prevent yourself from becoming a tomato again. What was it with this guy? You just couldn't handle him. How could someone be so strange and creepy and at the same time so... well... sweet. It was giving you a serious headache. You had almost forgotten what you came here for in the first place. Your hand was reaching for the book in your bag while you walked home. You had it. After a damn twisted adventure, but you had it. You felt like Lara Croft. Mission completed. Maybe soon you would find out what thing was hunting the campus. All thanks to you. This nice little thought was taking over, making you forget the fact that even if you found that out, it was another story to make it stop. You also forgot about the two other favors that you still owed the sugar-king.

* * *

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	6. 06 - Choke On It

»Wow! That book is _great_!«

It was Saturday evening, 7:12 PM and Dan and Margaret were sitting at the kitchen table with you. You had told them about breaking into the college and the library, leaving out the part with the 'midnight-dinner'. Somehow it would be embarrassing to you if they knew about you and Gabriel. It was so weird. So hard to explain. After all you were unable to even explain it to yourself. What was he to you? Not exactly a friend, but what else then? Your stalker? Well, honestly it was mostly your own fault whenever you ran into him. Whatever.

»So your roommate's boyfriend really is dead?« Margie gave you a worried look.

»Yeah... they found him decapitated in the woods. The police is still talking to Tina.«

»My god...«

Dan was completely lost in the old book. He made notes while reading, looking excited.

»So what about your theories? Anything to share with us?« You were curious.

The blonde snapped out of his thoughts, looking up into two waiting faces.

»Uh... well... theories, yes.« Dan put his hands onto the table, trying to look like a teacher or something.

»possibilities.«

»Spit it out.«

»First I thought... maybe... a ghost. But... that is unlikely.«

»A ghost? Are you serious?« Margie looked a little terrified.

»Uhm... okay. But _why_ is it unlikely?«

»Well... A ghost would be bound to something. If it all happened inside the college... maybe. But it hasn't. And the victims had no business with each other. Not like some kind of revenge thing going on.«

»I see... so what else?« You turned your head to Dan again, who seemed to enjoy educating you.

»It might be... a shapeshifter. Though...«

»Excuse me?« Margie's face deformed in disbelieve again.

»Though?«

»Well a few things just don't fit. As I read... shapeshifters usually shift into humans they killed to trick other people. But shifting into a number of snakes, for example... I don't know. Also... why would one let the professor and Tina live?«

»So... that thing is... focused on certain people...« You took a sip out of your coke can.

»That explains Tina. But why wasn't Professor Evans killed?«

»He was warned...« You remembered that message on the mirror.  
»It's like... he was given a chance.«

»A chance to do _what_?«

»To do better.« It suddenly made sense.

»Gab-... I mean... I heard... that he was watching the girls in the change room.«

»Whoa! _What?!_ « It looked like Margie lost her faith finally.

»So this _is_ about revenge?« Dan took another look into the book.

There was a moment of silence. Dan thumbing through the pages, Margie frozen in shock, and you thinking.

»What about... _demons_?«

Dan stopped and looked up to you.

»... let's hope not.«

»But it is possible?«

»Well... demons are hard to define, so... yes.«

Margaret sighed loudly, pushing her glasses back up.

»Why... would a demon do all that?«

»There are a lot of possibilities, again. Someone may have summoned it. To take revenge for them.«

»And a demon would just do that?« It sounded too easy to you.

»Demons are evil. They could be doing it for fun. Or...«

»Or what?«

»They made a deal.«

»Like... selling your soul to the devil?«

Dan took a moment to think of a scenario.

»How's this...? Some kind of do-gooder thinks the campus has to be cleaned from all the... dirty kids. So he summons a demon to get rid of the trash.«

Crazy as that idea was, it sounded plausible.

»So what would give a demon away?«

»Hm... there are some typical signs...« Dan rubbed his chin.

»Like the smell of sulfur.«

»Sulfur? Really?«

»Jepp. Also a demon wouldn't like iron, salt and holy water, obviously. It would hurt them visibly.«

»Hmm... so-«

Just when you were about to ask more questions, the doorbell rung. Margie jumped up, seemingly happy to get up from that table of horrors.

»I'll go!«

»Uh, okay. Thanks.«

You expected Tina and Debra to be back. And now you couldn't wait to ask Tina if she smelled any sulfur in the forest. Besides... the blood. The thought of an actual demon however, scared you. This was the stuff out of a movie. And you'd rather be in Poltergeist than in The Exorcist.

Then Margie came back, alone.

»There's someone for you, (y/n).«

She was smiling a bit, a faint blush on her face. As if someone complimented her.

»Huh? Who?« You stood up.

»A guy. Don't know him.« Margie whispered returning to her chair.

You made your way to the door, wondering.

And there he was.

»Hey, sugar.« Gabriel was leaning against the door frame, smirking.

»...«

No. Just no.

It was like a figure out of a nightmare coming to life. Yesterday seemed so unreal. Like it never really happened. But there he stood. More real than ever. Now this _was_ stalking. On one hand you were glad not to be alone right now. On the other, you didn't want Dan and Margie to find out was was going on.

»H-how... the hell do you know...« You whispered now.

»... where you live?« He chuckled.

»I'm the janitor of your college. There are lists. All students, pedantically sorted by name and year of accession.«

Well, bummer.

You looked him over, noticing that he wasn't in his work clothes. Of course not. It was Saturday. But it was the first time you saw him like that. He was wearing jeans, a dark-blue plaid shirt and an open, khaki jacket. It made him look... human. You had to admit it... he looked good. It was like all the thoughts about what, or how crazy he could be, made you blind for it. The day's last rays of sun made his hair shimmer in gold again, and his eyes glow like amber. _Damn it_ , he looked good.

»S-so... uh... what... what is it...?« You had to wake yourself from the daydream.

He just grinned more.

»I am opening door number two.«

Oh great. Now?

»Oh... uh... I got visitors, so...« It seemed like the perfect excuse.

Gabriel glanced into the hall behind you, not seeing anyone. Then he smiled sweetly.

»Send them home. You're coming with me.«

He still smiled, but had said it emphatically. Somehow you figured it was better to do what he said.

»Uh... fine. Just... wait for me downstairs.«

With that said, you went back to your friends. You just told them you forgot you had an 'appointment' today. Dan took the book with him, to find out more. When they left, Margie whispered 'He's sweet!' in your ear, giving you a thumbs up, that made you blush. Sure. Of course he was sweet. He's made out of sugar.

The fact that you didn't know what in the word was awaiting you now, made your stomach tense up a little. He had sounded so stern. Like a cop, coming to arrest you. There was no running away from this man, so you just put your coat on, and headed down to the door. He was waiting impatiently, hands in his pockets.

»There you are. Let's go, or we'll be late.«

»...late...for what?«

»You'll see.« He grinned again, taking your hand and pulling you with him.

A heat rose up your cheeks, like someone held a blow-drier in your face. Your heart raced while Gabriel walked on in a peachy mood. Just when had your life turned into such a confusing, twisted mess? You were far beyond the ability of straight thinking. And this confident, warm hand was pulling you through the streets like a dog on a leash. After like ten minutes, he stopped in front of the city's biggest cinema.

Your eyes widened in surprise.

»We're... uhm... that's where we...?«

»Oh, don't worry! I'll pay, of course.« He was waving his hand around.

You blushed again, watching him pull two tickets out of his pocket.

»Already got these.« He smiled, giving you one of them.

It said 'Supernatural Disturbance 2' and was obviously a horror movie.

»I like horror too, you know.« He gave you a wink, before getting into the building with you.

Twenty minutes later, you sat in the hall next to each other, waiting for the film to start. You had cooled down a bit and decided to turn your brain back on. You took a deep breath through your nose, trying to use all the smelling sense you had, to detect sulfur in the air. But all you smelled was Gabriel's giant bag of popcorn. Unlike him, you had taken both, sugared and salted popcorn. You hated it salted, but it was time to take one for the team. You put one in your mouth, while reaching another one over to him, your expression asking him to try, with a smile. Eat it, if you're not a demon. Choke on it, if you are.

Gabriel looked at it for a second, but then just took it, happily.

»Not that bad, I admit.« He smirked chewing, while turning back to the screen, where the movie just started.

Huh.

Relief mixed with a bad conscience again. You watched him for a moment, feeling awfully ungrateful. For the rest of the night, you decided to just forget about all the crap, and relax. And that's what you did. You concentrated on the movie, which was one of those pseudo-self-filmed ones, with jump scares that made half the audience go nuts. You screamed out a few times and Gabriel would just laugh, making you giggle at yourself. He shared his popcorn with you, once he noticed, you had put yours away. Damn salt. It was fun. In fact, the first time you really enjoyed yourself since you came here. You walked out the cinema with a feeling of bliss.

Gabriel walked next to you, sipping on the rest of his cola. He didn't pull you anymore, since you weren't in a hurry now. You looked at him just for a second, but it seemed like he noticed, offering you an arm. You hesitated for a moment, but then took it. It was weird, but just for those few minutes, it felt perfect. Your heart ran a marathon again, but it didn't bother you now. It felt light as a feather.

When you reached your door again, you almost wished you weren't there yet. You let go of his arm, smiling slightly.

»...thank you... for this.« You looked down, trying not to blush again.

Gabriel chuckled.

»Don't thank me for kidnapping you.«

You let out a short little laughter.

»Yeah... still. I do.«

You suddenly really felt the need to thank him. To apologize for all the bad thinking. Even if he didn't know about that.

Before you even knew it, you had put a kiss on his left cheek.

Realizing what you just did, blood pumping up your head, you quickly pushed the door open, vanishing through it.

* * *

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	7. 07 - Energy

You had spent the whole Sunday trying to distract yourself from Saturday. Bootless. Gabriel was everywhere. Even if, for once, he wasn't. Every time you were with him, the next day it felt like it never really happened. Maybe it was because he was so... unique. Not like anyone you had ever met. He was still pretty much a stranger to you. And a mystery. But the thought of the previous night made you feel all tingly. Being near him had been like stepping into a warm, comfortable bubble.

It was a little strange actually. Did your brain make that all up, because someone simply was kinda nice to you? He wasn't even a friend to you. Hell... you knew as good as nothing about him.

Gabriel - janitor and sugar fancier, dog owner, 5' 8" or something. That was all.

Your sanity told you to keep your distance. This wasn't how you're supposed meet someone. No. It was insane. Completely messed up. He could be any kind of sicko. There was no way you could refute that possibility, other than the fact that he was nice so far. But sociopaths were nice at first too, right? Well... at least he wasn't a demon. And a demon was, what was most likely, haunting the college. So your stupid thoughts of him, eating sugar-coated students, were off the table. That was a big relief for you at that point.

Now it was Monday again, sitting at your favorite place in the cafeteria. You had barely touched your bagel yet, nervously playing with a napkin. Dan had texted you earlier, telling you to meet him here. But you were secretly hoping to see someone else before that. Your eyes kept searching for a grinning blonde somewhere between the other people. Someone with a piece of cake. Maybe a muffin.

Minutes passed, but he didn't appear.

Well. Okay. You weren't sure if what you felt now, was disappointment. But the first time you actually wanted to see him, he didn't show up. It was like a joke again. Somehow you were hoping for a chance to clean up the mess in your head a little. For him to become more human to you. Even if the thought of meeting him, still made you nervous. Maybe that kiss and your rashly escape made _you_ the odd one now. Maybe that had been a little too much? An awkward feeling started to manifest in your stomach.

» _AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!_ «

A horrible scream woke you from your daydream. It clearly came from far away, but it was so loud, everybody had heard it. Some special sense in you made you jump up from your seat and rush out of the cafeteria. You followed the direction the scream had come from, and soon realized, that the way was familiar. You went there before, not long ago. And before you knew it, you stood in front of Professor Evans' office once more. The door was open this time and four or five other students were looking in, visibly shocked. As you slowly pushed one of them to the side, you saw why.

The professor laid on the floor, motionless and pale, eyes wide open. His whole body was distorted in an impossible way. It looked like every bone in him must be broken at least once. Blood from his mouth was making the gray linoleum reflect in an awful red. A woman cowered left from him, with her back to the wall. Her whining was the only sound to be heard.

This can't be real.

A trance-like feeling fell over you, as you walked away from the scene in slowmotion. You didn't just see a dead body in there. You didn't just see a corpse twisted like a rubber band in that room. No way. No.

Thirty minutes later, the police was all over the place. Most students and teachers had been sent home, but you still sat on a bench outside, trying to pull yourself together. Dan was with you, rather excited, than shocked. He had brought the book, trying to find a certain page.

»Snakes. Remember?«

You blinked twice, giving Dan a questionable look.

»... _what?_ «

»Snakes.« He said, like it was self-explanatory.  
»Snakes did that.«

»...excuse me...?« Your face hadn't changed.

»Like... really big constrictor snakes. Did you know that Professor Evans was petrified of snakes?«

Dan's words sounded like absurd gibberish. Why was he so fevered anyway?

»Just... what are you trying to tell me here?«

»I think... I know what we are dealing with. And It's not a demon.«

 _Now_ your face changed. What?

»W-woah. Wait a second. I thought everything else was _unlikely_?!«

»Everything I had thought of until then. But... I found something else.« He found the page he was looking for, holding up the book for you to see.

»... and that is our culprit.«

You squinted your eyes to read the letters in the setting sun.

» _Trickster_?«

You had never heard anything like that.

»Bingo!« He grinned a little, looking confident.

»They are said to be rather rare demigod-like creatures.«

»Demi...god-like...?«

»Look. I was thinking... « Dan waved around his hands.

»What do all the victims have in common? They didn't even know each other. Well... I finally saw it.«

»...« You just raised your left eyebrow.

»They are bad. Assholes, bitches, rude dicks.«

»Uh... what?«

»See... I asked around a little more. That guy in the asylum? He was known to be sort of a bully. Bad type. The girl that disappeared? An arrant liar. Spread shit all over the campus. Tina's guy – a cheater. And Professor Evans? Well, you said it yourself, a pervert.«

Your brows narrowed. He was right. Damn right. Everything made sense all of a sudden. Just when you were about to ask, Dan spoke on.

»The point is, this is exactly what a trickster does. They punish or teach a lesson to people acting like douches. In an often humorous or humiliating way. Explains Jason, heh.«

Dan sounded like he actually found that funny. He probably did.

»I need to find out how to identify a trickster as such. They usually look human. Also the book doesn't say how to kill one.« Obviously it was a mission to him.

»Can you do that...?«

»We'll see. I'd better get to work! I'll text you, if I find out anything!«

He grinned broadly, before leaving you alone on the now empty and almost dark campus. You sat there another few minutes, enjoying the silence. Then you stood up, ready to head home, when you flinched from a sudden feeling at your lower leg.

»Uh-?«

You looked down to find it was the feeling of a little paw. Two deep-brown eyes were looking up to you, sparkling with joy.

»...Archie?« You had to smile a bit, kneeling down, to pet the dog.

Of course he wasn't there alone. Before you even thought about that, Gabriel appeared next to you, looking down on the two of you.

»Looks like someone's in love.«

You were so distracted by the little guy, the janitor's typical popping-up-out-of-nowhere didn't even startle you this time. The little terrier wagged his tail happily, as you lifted him up to hold him close. You were smiling in the same amount of joy as your eyes finally met Gabriel's.

»H-hey.« You felt your cheeks heat up a bit.

He chuckled at the picture of his dog in your arms.

»Typical. A pretty lady appears, and he abandons me.« He raised a brow at Archie.  
»Guess I cannot blame him.«

You tried not to blush, looking back at the dog.

»...going for a walk...?«

»Jepp. Also getting him some treats. Since he cannot eat mine... unfortunately.« He smirked a bit.

»Wanna come along?«

»Uhm...y-yeah. Sure.« You had answered before you even thought about it.

You were truly happy to see him. Somehow he just put your mind at ease. Which was strange, considering that he usually made you extremely nervous. And in a way you were. But he made you think of something else than the professor. You put the dog back down and let Gabriel put a leash on him.

You headed down the South Street, not talking at all. Thinking of the peck still made you feel a little uneasy, and you wouldn't have the heart to take his arm again. But being in someone's company surely felt good. Soon the both of you reached a little pet shop, where Gabriel bought a bag full of dog treats, while you waited outside with Archie, who whined sadly, soon as his owner left his field of view.

You took him to sit on a little stone wall on the opposite side of the street, where Gabriel soon joined you. He pulled what looked like a little sausage, and held it before the dogs face.

»Who loves daddy?«

Archie almost went crazy, his eyes following the sausage, like hypnotized.

You were grinning in rapture, when you felt your phone vibrating, as a message came in. Taking a quick look, you saw it was from Dan.

'Guess what tricksters really need? An enormous amount of energy! Like all the time. Crazy huh? We should look for people with Red Bull in hand! :-D lol'

Sometimes you really didn't know what Dan wanted to tell you. Anyway you decided not to answer now. The scene in front of you was far more interesting. You noticed how adorable Gabriel could smile, when he genuinely did. Almost childlike. After Archie finally got his treat, his owner leaned back, looking at you, as if he had felt you watching him.

»Want one too?«

»A dog treat?« You laughed a bit.

»If you like. But I also have chocolate.« He grinned.

»Not if I have to beg.« You peered at him, slightly grinning back.

»What? You _don't_ love me?«

Blood shot into your head like on command. Your face resembled a chili within three seconds, leaving you unable to respond. Gabriel's grin faded, but his eyes didn't move. It was like suddenly he saw some kind of chance, as he grabbed you by your upper arm, pulling you dangerously close. Now all you saw were those eyes. Those damn eyes, in a deep shade of yellow ocher, under the faint street lights.

»... last wish, honey.« He whispered, his eyes focusing your lips.

After those words, all you kept hearing was your heart, beating so hard, it almost made your chest hurt. Everything around you began to disappear and an invisible force seemed to draw you closer. And honestly, you wanted nothing else in the world right now, but to kiss this guy. Only an inch was between you and him.

Then something clicked inside your head.

Energy.

 _Energy._

 _SUGAR._

You flinched away from him, eyes wide open.

Sugar. Pure damn sugar. All the time.

The professor got killed. When _he_ wasn't at the cafeteria.

You jumped on your feet, breathing hysterically. Everything was spinning. The whole world was turning around like a carousel. All the city noises sounded dull and hollow. The last thing you heard was Archie, barking once.

Then everything went black.

* * *

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	8. 08 - Debt

A buzzing sound echoed in your ears, while you seemed to be floating through a dark-gray tunnel. You were unable to move and your body felt heavy as a massive rock. It felt like forever, until the awkward atmosphere was cut by something touching your cheek. The awful tunnel suddenly ended with a bright white light. You blinked a few times, adjusting your eyes to the painfully bright ceiling lamps. Your cheek felt warm and wet and there was a bad smell coming from something breathing into your face. The buzzing was replaced by a panting. Soon you realized, the little dog named Archie was sitting right beside you, licking your face every now and then. You were laying on a couch and as you moved your eyes to the left, you understood, that it was Gabriel's. With his name coming to your mind, everything else came back as well.

 _Damn it._

You pushed yourself up as fast as you could, jumping off the couch. Much too fast, in fact. Your bloodstream made you pay for it. Everything was spinning, as you stumbled backwards. Your left lower leg hit the coffee table unpleasantly, making you lose every balance. As you fell to the floor, it felt more like the whole world had turned ninety degrees. It hurt either way. But that wasn't your concern right now. You just wanted to get out of here. Out of this trauma. You turned around, getting on your knees, when you saw two feet appear in front of your eyes. Of course you knew who they belonged to, when you peeked up.

»Woah, you shouldn't get up yet, sweetie.«

Gabriel was about to reach down for your arm, but you jumped backwards, falling on your butt again.

»Don't touch me!«

You crawled further back, until you reached the wall. Your whole body was shivering while you slowly climbed up onto your feet again. Gabriel gave you an asking and worried look.

»Hey... calm down, you passed out and-«

»Cut the crap!«

Your heart was racing as you moved along the wall on weak legs.

»I know what you are.« You couldn't help it. You had to stare at him now.

Gabriel's face changed. It was hard to read though. For a moment he just stared back at you. Archie ran out of the room, meanwhile. That damn dog. It had made you feel so safe. Then Gabriel started walking towards you, very slowly.

»Is that so?« He raised a brow.

Fear ran down your back. You nervously kept on walking backwards.

»Yes. Yes I do... damn _trickster_.« You growled.

He just made a gasping sound, grinning a bit.

»So what... if I was?«

»You _are_!«

You had reached the front door, and fumbled with the door knob in panic. All you could think of now, was running for your life. Getting out of this god forsaken building. That was your plan. Your great plan.

But when you stepped out of the apartment finally, your escape plan turned out to be useless.

The hallway was gone.

»Wha-?!«

You found yourself standing in, what looked like a dark alley somewhere between tall, old houses. It was foggy, cold and it looked really creepy. Something about it made you think that it could fit into a scene from Nightmare on Elm Street. When you turned around, the apartment had disappeared like it had never been there. You wished this _was_ a nightmare.

You decided to run either way. This had to be an illusion. A trick somehow.

»Don't tell me you are afraid of me.«

Gabriel's dark shape appeared at the end of the alley.

»G-go away! Just leave me alone!«

You ran in the opposite direction as fast as your shaky legs would allow it. All you concentrated on, was not to fall on the rough cobblestone. But there didn't seem to be an end anywhere. One alley just resulted into another. They all were dark and empty. You took another turn left, stopping abruptly.

»C'mon sugar. We had such a good time, don't you think?« Gabriel just stood there, three meters away from you.

Your back was against the wall again and you felt like something froze your feet.

»... good... time...?« You bit your lip a bit.

»Yeah... I _thought_ so!« A lump started forming in your throat.

The trickster-suspect stepped a bit closer, into the yellowish light of an old street lamp. He was searching your face.

»...I ... _trusted_ you!« You couldn't keep your eyes from filling up with tears.

»... sugar...«

»... but you are... a liar!«

In a second, the man's face changed. His hand hit the wall next to your head, violently. You were struck with fear, unable to react.

»I... _never_... lied to you.« He scowled at you now.

»...« You had to swallow the lump, before you were able to speak again.  
»You... didn't tell me what you are!«

»I told you _who_ I am!« With that said, he stepped back from you.

»That's far more than you _should_ know.«

His answer confused you. But in the end it sounded like an excuse.

»What do you... want from me...?«

Gabriel made a surprised face.

»Me? Oh, I just want my third favor.« He wiggled his brows, like it was a joke.

»W-what...?«

He raised his right hand, bringing his thumb and middle finger together.

»You got a debt to pay. Don't you forget that, honey.«

Then he snapped.

In the blink of an eye, you stood outside on the campus again. As if you had never joined this guy and his dog. How you wished you wouldn't have. You made your way home, faster than ever. You slammed the door shut and locked it along with all the windows. The feeling of being chased, just didn't really stop. It took you half an hour to calm down, change to your sleeping clothes and make it into the bathroom.

You looked into the mirror, just staring at yourself for minutes. Why did that that all happen to you? Did it happening at all? Or were you just going completely crazy? Maybe something was wrong with you.

You closed your eyes, trying to sort your thoughts. It was impossible to do. You just wanted to sleep now. But when you opened your eyes again, things had just gone worse.

 _Not again._

There you stood. In your pajama. In the middle of a damn forest. It was so dark, you barely saw anything. The moon shining through the trees was the only light there was. The only sound came from breaking branches under your feet. All around you nothing but trees and bushes. And darkness. That was too much. 

You clenched your fists.

»Enough! I have enough of this!«

Silence.

»I know you are there! Stop this!«

Another minute of silence. Then something appeared behind you, leaning against a tree.

»I thought, you like horror movies.« Gabriel grinned amused.

You turned around, not sure if you were afraid or angry.

»I can't take this! I'll pay my debt, alright?!«

Gabriel frowned a bit.

»Aww, sweetheart. Don't you be so mad.« He raised his hand again.  
»This is supposed to be a _beautiful_ moment.«

»Beautiful? Sure.« You let your eyes wander around the forest, meaningfully.

»I like the forest in the moonlight.« He shrug.  
»But maybe you are more of a sunset type?«

Then he snapped again, and before you knew it, you stood on a little hill. There were fields of yellow flowers all around you, and as far as you could see. The setting sun made everything shine in gold. Like the most vivid dream you could imagine.

»Just... how... can you do that...«

»Some would call it magic, love.« Gabriel looked proud of himself.  
»So... «

»When I pay you...« Your eyes finally met his.  
»...will you leave me alone...?«

He looked at you, unreadable.

»If you wish.«

You nodded, ready to end this drama.

»Fine then.«

Just when you had finished your last word, Gabriel grabbed you by your arms and pulled you close. Before you even realized it, his lips were on yours. His kiss felt like nothing before. A strange but pleasant warmth took over you, while your whole body felt like melting into a perfect, fluffy nothingness. Your brain was completely empty now. No fear or anger was left inside you. It was like bathing in pure bliss. It felt like forever. For a minute.

Then it snapped.

»..?!«

The next thing you felt, were the cold tiles in your bathroom, and the only thing you saw, was your face in the mirror.

* * *

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	9. 09 - Girls And Insects

It had been three days since the 'trickster' had played his crazy game with you, which had ended in this stunning kiss. It felt like it happened so long ago, you almost wondered if it was a hallucination. This kiss however... you could still feel it on your lips. And this made you sure it was real. That damn kiss. No matter how you tried to get it out of your head, it kept on dragging your attention from whatever you tried to concentrate on. You were a mess at school. It was hard to even remember what class you were sitting in. Somehow everything was annoying you by now. All the people, all the noises, everything.

Why? After all, you finally got what you wanted, right? Your peace. There you sat, at the cafeteria once again. Looking around for a certain someone to appear. Somehow you expected that to happen. But Gabriel kept his promise. He was nowhere to be found. Not even in the hallways in the morning, or outside in the evening. He was simply gone. And that should make you happy. No-one was playing weird tricks on you now, creeping you out wherever you went. It was such a difference to all the other days, that you almost felt bored.

You stared at the bowl in front of you, that was filled with the most awful soup you had ever eaten. No bagel today. No burger. No. Because on top of it all, the college had elected a new student representative. Some horrible, snobby girl, that changed the menu so that nothing 'unhealthy' was left on it. Not that you ever saw _her_ in here at all. In fact, it was unlikely that she would ever set a foot in this room.

God, cake would be a blessing right now. Getting rid of Gabriel had it's bad sides. You shook your head. _Don't you even think that._ He's some kind of monster. Something you shouldn't open the door to. But you had done that already. The door to your home. The door to your head. The door to your heart. You shook your head again. Damn it. You really wanted to stop thinking of him. But there were so many questions unanswered. He was a mystery still.

Another week passed, and you just didn't seem to feel better. It was another week of daydreaming, pondering, head shaking and bad food. Plus, there was this feeling inside, growing stronger each day. Every time you were walking through the hallway looking for wet floors, every time you ate at the cafeteria at your same place, even though the food was disgusting now, every time you were searching the campus for a little dog. What was happening here? Could you really be... _missing_ him?

Dan was waiting for another strike of the trickster, excited like a child at Christmas. That actually reminded you that he was really dangerous.

Nonetheless, when you waved your friends goodbye that day, you quickly turned around, and hurried back into the college. You couldn't take it anymore. You at least needed an answer. To why he was so nice to you, and so bad at the same time. You wanted a real reason to hate him. That he just played with you. Made fun of you. Then maybe you could finally get him out of your head. You could tell Dan about it and find a way to finish him. In fact, you already mentioned a few things to him, just hints. Not enough though, for him to get it.

You made your way upstairs, until you reached the janitor's door. Your heart was racing like you were about to face a wild animal. Finally you knocked, nervously waiting for the door to open. Nothing happened.

»...G-Gabriel...?«

Nothing. Complete silence. He wasn't home? Really? Maybe he was out with the dog...? Just when you thought this through, you heard something scratching at the door from inside.

»Archie?«

» _Wwruff!_ «

So much to that theory. You literally heard his tail wag in excitement. Where the hell is your boss? If only you could talk. You turned around, and leaned against the wall. So what is he he doing if he's not at home or his job.

Your eyes widened. At his _other job._

But who...?

There was only one person right now, possible to you. You quickly pulled your phone out of your bag, sending a message to Dan. It was the time you needed his technology skills. He seemed to have freaking everyone's phone number. Somehow he dealt with them or something. And a few minutes later, you were on your way to the coordinates of a certain someone's cellphone.

You reached the destination soon, finding it was a really fancy restaurant. Obviously for the upper class. There was a little garden in front of it, in which you sneaked in, again feeling like some sort of intruder. You were more than nervous. If you were caught here, you'd probably be arrested. You found a good spot between two hedges, from where you could look inside through the giant glass facade. Expensively dressed people were sitting there around candlelit tables. It took a while until you spotted the one you were looking for.

»Miranda Mallett.«

The voice from behind, almost gave you a heart attack.

»Representative for the prestige. Haughty, rich, selfish.« Gabriel was crouching right behind you.

»G-Gabriel...?«

So he was here. He was _really_ here.

He took a look at you, smirking.

»Funny. I thought you said, you wanted me to leave you alone. And here you are. Stalking _me_.«

»Wha-? Stalking? Hell no! I- «

»You wanna be my intern?«

»Eh... _what?!_ «

Before you knew what was going on, the trickster had pulled you left be your wrist, until you reached the end of the garden. The entrance to the restaurant was just a few meters away now.

»What are you doing?!«

»We're going in.«

»What?! No!«

Gabriel rolled his eyes at you.

»I'll pay. And It'll be fun. You'll see.« He grabbed your wrist again, pulling you further.

»H-hey! I can't go in there! Look at me!«

Gabriel looked you over, raising one brow. Then he snapped his fingers. First you didn't even realize what had happened. But a cold breeze at your legs made you notice that you were wearing a dress suddenly.

»Wha-?!«

It was a sleeveless taupe silk dress slightly reaching over your knees. Though you had rarely ever worn something so classy, you kind of liked it.

»Now, can we go?«

The man didn't even wait for an answer, quickly forcing you to get into the building with him. He gave the receptionist a strange a look, and a minute later you sat at a nice table, right next to Miranda Mallett's.

Gabriel already had the menu in his hands, probably looking for something sweet. You took a look to your right.

The slim, blonde girl was sitting there with three of her just as rich girlfriends. They were giggling and obviously making fun of someone not present. Miranda was the one talking the most, while the others were mostly laughing.

»Did you know that Ms. Mallett's friends have an expiration date? Now they are laughing. But it's not long until they'll be dumped.« Your company's eyes didn't move from the menu.

»...what are we doing here...?«

»What do you do at a restaurant?« He looked at you as if you were three years old.

»Cut the crap. I'm serious.«

He put down the card, looking straight at you now.

»I'm teaching someone a lesson.«

His eyes wandered over to the girls' table.

»Don't you miss the burgers...?«

Your eyes followed his as inconspicuously as possibly. You heard a faint snap, and at the same second, Miranda started to cough. You turned your head from her to Gabriel. What was happening now? He wasn't killing her, was he? You became a little nervous, but he was just smiling.

One of the girls friends slapped her on the back, which seemed to work. Miranda regurgitated something into her hand. As soon as she took a look at it, she started screaming hysterically.

» _IIIAAAAHHHH!_ «

Everyone turned their heads to her. When she dropped the thing onto her plate, you finally saw it was a really big centipede. The three other girls now screamed as well, jumping up from their seats. Miranda made a run to the toilets and her friends followed.

Gabriel watched the scene, grinning.

»Haha... girls and insects, hm?«

»And... what will that change exactly?« Your brows narrowed.

»Don't worry. She will find a nice little note on her pillow tonight, that will clear things up for her.«

You wanted to ask about that, but before you could, he stood up.

»Time to go.«

»Eh...?«

You jumped up, quickly following him out. The last thing you wanted, was to sit in this expensive place alone. He just put his hand in his pockets, and strolled away from the place.

»W-wait, were are you going?«

»Didn't like the menu. Gotta get myself something truly delicious.«

He didn't seem to mind if you followed him or not, and you weren't sure what to do now. But you were damn curious.

»Would you change my clothes back, please?« The dress didn't let you walk properly.

He took a look back at you while he walked and raised one corner of his mouth.

»You look gorgeous, so... I say no.«

Your cheeks turned red, and you decided not to ask again. Where the hell was he about to go? Finding another victim? Maybe it would be better to go home now, not pushing your luck again. But something made you keep following him. Finding out more about this guy was all you could think of.

You just had to.

* * *

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	10. 10 - Sugar Heaven

It was a little weird how you followed this guy, that you had pretty much pushed away from you just a few days ago. Far way from you, so you could give yourself a break. And here you were, getting yourself into it again. And this time you couldn't even blame anyone else. It was awkward, actually. You had never been the type that got into trouble much, or act so careless. But since you were here, you have been acting like another person.

Gabriel was still walking in front of you, not saying a word since he refused to give you your clothes back. He hadn't even turned around a single time. It was a strange atmosphere, and you began to wonder if he was sore after all. You actually _were_ kind of stalking him now. On the other hand, how could he complain? He was following you first. And you still wanted your outfit back.

After walking a while, you had reached a part of the city that you had never seen before. There was a shopping district ahead, with colorful lights and signs everywhere. You were gazing at the scene in pure amazement, when Gabriel suddenly turned left and entered a shop. Quickly you ran after him, and before you knew it, you stood inside an incredible candy store, called 'Sugar Heaven'. It was huge and filled with colorful, sweet treats from the floor up to the ceiling. It was almost surreal. A child's wildest dream. Well, or a trickster's. Gabriel had taken one of the shopping baskets at the entrance and was already busy filling it with all kinds of chocolate, cookies, gummy bears and other diabetes-friendly goodies. You were not sure what to do or say, other than to keep on watching him.

»Pick some things.« He suddenly turned to you, pointing into his basket.

»Uhm... uh?«

»You will get hungry following me all night.«

He put the basket on the ground, suggesting you should put things into it. Your face just turned a little red again, feeling as if you were caught in some way.

»I mean it, come on.« He grabbed you by the hand quickly, and pulled you to a large shelf with chocolate bars.

You didn't know where to look first. They had everything you could imagine.

»So, what's your favorite?« He swung himself in front of the shelf, as if he was some kind of salesman on TV.

You had to smile a bit, thinking he would do great as such.

»Oh...eh... I... I don't know.«

»Come on! Everyone has a favorite chocolate!« He grimaced.

»Well... uhm... maybe one with... nuts?«

»Peanuts, hazelnuts, pecan nuts, pistachios, almonds?« Gabriel enumerated, like he wanted to find the chocolate of your life.

»... hazelnuts... I guess...?«

»What kind of chocolate?« He seemed to have fun with this.

»Hmm... milk chocolate.«

Like an expert, he pulled a bar from the shelf and held it in front of you, before throwing it into his basket.

»Not very creative, but it's a start.«

He raised his brows before pulling you further. After like ten minutes he had dragged you through the whole store, making you choose between all sorts of candy flavors. You had never seen anyone buying so many treats at once. But he was probably a regular customer here. After paying, he carried two big plastic bags out of the store. It was a funny picture and it made you laugh a bit inside. This grown man with enough sweets to to feed a whole school class, having happiness written all over his face. You just kept on walking, expecting him to head back home now. But he took another path, away from the shopping mile. He made his way through residential areas and quiet streets and finally reached a little park. All the way you didn't ask anything. You just wanted to see what happened next. Gabriel stepped onto the grass and found himself a nice spot under a white willow. He let the bags drop and sat down, leaning against the tree. It was a beautiful, lonely place, but you wouldn't wanna be here alone at that time. You slowly sat down as well, watching Gabriel unwrap a Bounty. The first thing you saw, when looking into your bag, were some cookies, so you decided to try them.

»So... you think that... 'lesson' worked?« You asked, opening the package.

»I don't know, tell me.« He took a bite from his treat.

You raised a brow in confusion.

»What do you mean...?«

Gabriel smiled slightly, while chewing.

»That lesson wasn't just for Miranda.«

»Woah... wait. You are saying it was for... _me_?«

What the hell was going on here? The guy was just grinning at you.

»I took you to work. Now tell me, is it so bad, what I do?«

»Putting bugs in someone's dinner, I guess no. Chopping someone's head of, well, yes!«

Your voice had a far more serious sound to it now, and Gabriel seemed to notice that. He breathed out and and looked at the ground for a moment.

»You see... I give bad people the chance to become better.« He tilted his head to the side, looking like a teacher. »Some change, and that's great. Every human can change. I saw that. And I _believe_ in it.«

Your expression didn't change much, as you listened.

»But some... just don't. And those... they pay.«

For a moment, the look in his eyes frightened you again. You actually wondered, if you had ever done something mean enough for Gabriel to make you 'pay'.

»You should thank me. Soon you'll have burgers for lunch again.«

Sometimes his comments were so silly, you just had to smile.

»If not... Miranda will wake up with one hell of a rash, next week.«

You couldn't prevent yourself from grinning at that imagination, and Gabriel laughed as he noticed that. You realized that you really didn't know what to think of all that anymore. What was it that he was doing? How were you supposed to feel about that? He was killing people. The bad ones, but still. It was vigilantism. Murder. Yet you liked him, there was no denying that. Just looking at him, made your pulse speed up. If he was a human being, you would seriously consider him a potential partner.

You never had that specific thought before. It was a little awkward. Anyway, unlike you, he _wasn't_ human.

So it was pointless.

»Are there... more... of your kind?« You were curious.

»Sure.«

»And... do you have like... a family...?«

»Hmm... yes.« He answered, looking up, as if he thought of someone.

You were a little surprised. Imagining him with family members was a weird picture.

»How... are they?«

He opened a bag of skittles before he spoke.

»Well... I have brothers. But... they are kind of dicks when they are together, so... «

»They hate each other?«

»No! … No, not really. They're just... different.«

Something about Gabriel changed in front of your eyes. His whole expression became so different. There seemed to be a side of him, you hadn't seen yet.

»Do you see them?«

»It's been a while since I last saw any of them...«

»Are they... like you...?«

You imagined a bunch of Gabriels, fighting at a cake buffet.

He just laughed a bit.

» _They_ wouldn't go shopping with you, sugar.«

Wow. If Gabriel was so sweet to you, and yet killed people, how would his brothers be? You really didn't want to find that out.

»Listen, sweetheart... I personally, like humans.« He put the candy back into his bag.

»... especially you.«

You blushed once more, at that sudden statement.

»I won't hurt you. I won't even bother you, if you say so.« He got on his feet and helped you get up.

»I do what I do. You can live on, fearless, never seeing me again.«

Your eyes met his, as you stood up.

»Or you can visit me and Archie for more cake, candy and excitement. That's up to you.«

You looked down at your feet, not sure what to say. You had made that decision before, but here you were again. Was it even possible to simply be friends with Gabriel? Could you really push aside the thought of the cruel things he did? Being with him felt so good. But thinking about it all was so complicated.

»... can you bring me home...?«

»Of course, sugar.«

* * *

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	11. 11 - With Love

You had spend half the night thinking about all the things Gabriel had talked about at your little picnic. His words about his family. About humans. But most of all, about your so-called 'lesson'. You still didn't exactly get, what the hell that all was supposed to teach _you_. That he wasn't bad? Well, that didn't work so well. He definitely had a dark side. Even though you never actually saw it when you were with him. The worst thing he did, was to scare you a little. But you knew what he was capable of. After hours of pondering and staring at the ugly yellowish wallpaper in your room, you had made up your mind. You needed to find out what to do with him. Looking at the giant bag of candy he had bought you, you felt bad again. You decided to be as fair as possible, and find out just a little more, before judging him completely.

Now it was Tuesday morning and you were standing in the kitchen. There was no-one else this time, in fact both of your roommates were asleep. Simply because it was so damn early. You had gotten up, like two hours earlier than usually, because you had this stupid idea. You were standing there, at the counter, surrounded by a mess of dirty bowls and cups. Everything you touched was sticky, and every step you took made a crunching sound, from the sugar on the floor. Yes, you were baking. It's not like you were so good at it, but you had found something easy on the internet, that you knew was makable. You had just put the little cake in the oven, beginning to wash up, when you heard someone else's feet. You looked behind you, to see Tina had entered the kitchen, looking tired and now staring at you, like you had lost your mind.

»T-Tina, hey...« You said, trying to look relaxed.

»...« Tina's eyes were fixed on you, her raised right eyebrow saying more than a thousand words.

You quickly pointed to the mess you had made and waved your finger around it.

»Oh, this...? I just... I couldn't sleep so... I was making me something for breakfast, later, heh.«

»... cake?«

»...yeah. I... I like cake.«

You just realized how you sounded like Gabriel now. Great.

Tina then shrugged, and opened the fridge to get herself a lemonade, before sitting down on one of the chairs. She didn't look very good, but that wasn't such a surprise after all. It was obvious, she was still suffering from what happened in the forest, and you decided not to ask her about it. She moved the unopened can around on the table, looking at it, like daydreaming.

»...have you heard... about those sickos...?«

Your head turned to Tina again, making an asking face.

»...what sickos...?«

The blonde didn't look up from her drink.

»There's this little group of... well... strange kids.«

»...« You dried your hand, while listening.

»... some sort of... I don't know... goths... or whatever...«

»...goths...? In the college?«

»Yeah. There are rumors that they are... satanists.«

Now your eyes grew bigger.

»You mean like... they are worshiping...the devil?«

»Yes.«

Tina's eyes changed, and she squeezed her lemonade a little too had, making the can dent under the pressure. She seemed to be shaking a little, finally looking at you.

»Everyone may think I'm crazy. Even Debra says I'm obsessed with it. But the thing that killed Bryan... wasn't human. And now, finally... there seems to be an explanation.«

»...«

Looking at Tina's current condition, made you feel terrible, for not telling her the truth. You wouldn't know where to start to explain, or how to do it.

 _Sorry Tina, you're wrong. The janitor killed Bryan. Because he was an asshole. How I know that? Well, I have lunch with him sometimes._

Holy crap.

After Tina finally opened her can, she went back to her room. Not without telling you to be careful at the college. You just nodded to that, knowing you were baking a cake for Bryan's murderer. Talking about sickos.

It was a short day at the college, finished before lunch break, which fit perfectly in your plan. You had cut the cake into pieces, ate one for breakfast, and packed a few in tinfoil. As soon as your courses were over, you made your way up to the trickster's flat. Climbing up the stairs, you realized, you weren't even sure what to say to him. But you had to do something about your guilty conscience, and this was the perfect opportunity. You soon stood in font of his door, feeling nervous and a little stupid actually. But whatever, it was too late to backpedal now. You knocked on the door, and heard the dog bark as a reaction. The last time you were here, Gabriel wasn't there, but this time was different. A few seconds passed until the door opened to a picture that made your breath get stuck in your throat. There he stood, the so-called janitor, in a goddamn bathrobe. His hair was wet and warmth seemed to be radiating from him. Somebody just had a shower, obviously. You felt an awkward heat rising up your face, reaching your brain quickly. Gabriel's mouth grew into a broad smile within a second.

»Sunshine!« He didn't seem to mind his presentation.

That was sooo not the situation you had expected. Your eyes had looked him over against your will, and you had to force them back to his face. He had a sincere happiness in his face, that confused you even more. The feeling of little paws brought you back to reality, looking down to see Archie, just as excited.

»I-I... ehh...« You liftet up the little tinfoil-bag.

»I just... uhm... wanted to bring you some... cake.«

Gabriel's eyes began to shine even more. It made you feel like you needed a face-saver.

»I mean I... I made it and... it was too much... so...«

Gabriel took the bag and held it under his nose to take a deep sniff. He seemed to like what he smelled.

»Thank you, sweetheart.« He almost whispered, making you blush again. Then he waved his hand.

»Come in.«

»... huh? U-uh n-no, I have to-«

But before you could even end your sentence, he had already pulled you in. The short man strolled into the little kitchen to get himself a fork, and started unwrapping the cake. You just stood there, trying to look less awkward than you felt, leaning against the back of his couch. Archie followed you, searching for your attention, so you figured it was best to distract yourself with him. You picked him up in your arms, which he seemed to enjoy.

»You're an excellent baker.« Gabriel was leaning over the counter, already eating.

»Oh... no... certainly not. I pretty much never bake at all.«

»... that's not the point.« He looked at the cake pieces, while chewing slowly.

You watched him, wondering what he was thinking.

»You see... I can taste it, when something is made... with love.«

The blood in your cheeks made them resemble tomatoes again, as Gabriel put this mischievous smirk of his on. That did it. Your limit of daily trickster was reached. You put down Archie, who had licked all across your face without you even noticing.

»I have to go home now.«

Trying to quickly scurry past Gabriel, you were blocked by an even faster hand of his, grabbing your forearm.

»Not alone.«

»W-what?«

»I said, not alone. I'll bring you home.«

Really? All of a sudden he needed to walk you home? It was earlier than any time before, not even dark outside.

»Oh, no, you don't need to.« You waved your hands around.

»Yes I do. I hear, there are shady people out there, recently.«

»Shadier than you?«

For that, he threw an reproachful glance at you. But without letting you complain any more, he went out of the room, to put some clothes on. You decided to give it up and just get it over with. A few minutes later he closed the door to his apartment, leaving the dog behind, which earned him a heartbreaking whine. You walked down the hallways and out of the college. Since your way wasn't long, you soon reached home again. Gabriel had kept an eye on the surroundings all the way, which was a little creepy. He was so distracted by that, you didn't talk at all.

»...there we are... uhm... thank you... I guess... and-«

You were about to wave him goodbye finally, when someone put a hand on your shoulder.

»He-heyyyy, (Y/N)!«

Debra had just stepped out of the building, now putting her arm around your shoulder. You had never been that close to her, which made you feel a little out of place. She held you in a firm grip, looking over Gabriel.

»You never told me, you had a boyfriend.«

»W-what?! N-no! It's not-« You blushed like crazy.

Debra was giggling shamelessly, while Gabriel had the biggest grin on his face.

»Ahhh... no need to be embarrassed. You got a cutie there.« She said, before leaning down to whisper in your ear.

»A little short maybe.«

At that, you squirmed out of Debra's grip, ready to escape, before your head would explode. You reached for doorknob, when you were pulled back once more. Gabriel had grabbed you by the waist, and now held you so close to him, you only saw the color of his eyes.

»Don't you wanna tell me goodbye, love?«

Without a warning, he put a meaningful kiss on your lips,stunning you on the spot. Debra cheered, clapping her hands. It wasn't long, but it felt live forever. When he released it, you stumbled backwards a little, fumbling for the door behind you. Your face was unreadable and your voice toneless, when you vanished through the entrance of your home.

»BYE.«

* * *

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	12. 12 - The Stake

It was noon, two days later, and you sat in the gym hall of the college, along with the students of a few different courses. One of your teachers stood in front of the group, telling you about some sort of winter fest, that was celebrated every year. All of the year's new students had to take a part and help with it. Margie and you had consented to sell waffles at one of the stalls in the hallway. Your mood could be fine, if there wasn't a certain janitor, wiping the floor of the gym somewhere behind Professor Miller, smiling your way every now and then. You tried to avoid his eyes, pretending not to see him, but it was hard to do. You could hardly believe that him being here right now, was a coincidence. You didn't even know how to feel again. You really were sort of pissed about how stupid he had made you look in front of Debra. How could he dare to kiss you out of nowhere? Thinking about it though, made your blood run faster and you cheeks heat up again. You had wanted to clear things up, but it had just gotten worse.

»...are you okay?« Margaret was looking at you from the side.

»...huh?«

»I asked if you're okay.«

»Uh...yeah. Sure. I'm fine.« You scratched your left shoulder trying to look relaxed.

As soon as the explanation about the fest was done, you jumped up and escaped the building as fast as you could. You didn't feel like facing Gabriel now. Margie escorted you home, talking about waffles all the way. She seemed pretty excited about the fest, for whatever reason. You made your way up the stairs and entered the apartment, ready to have a nap. But when you stepped in the kitchen, you saw someone unexpected sitting there.

»Ah, hey (Y/N)!«

Dan was sitting at the table with Tina. Books and sheets were all over the place, as if they had been studying for an exam. Which of course they didn't.

»Dan...? What are you doing here?« You were more than confused.

The blond boy turned to you, and you noticed how tired he looked. Thinking about it, you realized, you hadn't seen him for days. He put a finger onto one of the books on the table and smiled.

»Weeell... I'm about to solve a mystery here.«

»... ehh... what?«

Tina took a look over her shoulder, with a confident look on her face.

»Daniel will find Bryan's killer!« She cheered.

»... wait...what? How?«

»It took me a few sleepless nights...but...« Dan pulled a piece of old-looking fabric out of his bag.

»I managed to find a locating spell.«

You stepped closer to the table, taking a seat.

»What the hell does that mean?«

The brown piece of cloth looked worn out and had weird symbols on it.

»It means, with this scroll... and a few other ingredients... I can locate the source of almost any psychic

disturbance.«

Dan sounded like some sort of crazy wannabe ghostbuster again.

»...but... how?«

»With Tina's help.«

Your head turned to her, and she seemed almost thrilled. A few weeks ago she wouldn't even have talked to Dan, the supernatural nerd.

»What this spell really requires, is something or someone who had contact with the entity's energy. It's like it's psychic fingerprint. And Tina brushed Jason, when she escaped him.«

»Let's do it already, Daniel! We have to find those goths!« Tina squeaked.

This couldn't possibly be working, right?

You watched closely, as Dan placed Tina's left hand onto a round marking on the fabric and poured what looked like a mix of herbs in the middle. He then pulled a matchstick and lit it, while speaking.

» _Ostendere._ «

Then he threw the burning wood on the scroll, causing a huge flame that made everyone flinch in surprise. The herbs burned away in a bright yellow, along with most of the fabric. Tina pulled back her hand before the fire had reached it. Within a few seconds, everything but a small circular piece of cloth had disappeared, putting a big grin on Dan's face.

»Yes!«

»... that's it?« You blinked.

An awful smell had filled the air, making Tina wave her hand.

»That's all I need! Let's end this sucker!« Dan grabbed his bag and made a run for the door.

»W-woah, wait!« You jumped up and rushed after him.

What the hell had just happened? And what was he about to do now? Could this dirty old piece of crap really detect Bryan's killer? The trickster? _Gabriel_? Your stomach began to twist in a painful way.

»D-Dan, wait!« You finally managed to grab his arm.  
»Hold on a second! What are you doing?«

»What do you think? I'll go and kill that trickster.«

»...K-kill him...? ...how?«

At that question, Dan just grinned proudly. He reached in his bag and pulled out a huge pointy stake. Your eyes widened.

»With that.«

»W-what's that? What the hell?!«

»What does it look like?«

»It looks like a freakin' stake! And … is that blood?!«

Dan slowly put the wood back into his bag, clearing his throat.

»It's... necessary.«

»Excuse me...?« You lowered your head to find his eyes.

»...blood... from... well... one of his... victims.«

Your mouth dropped open even more.

»... are you telling me that... « You swallowed a lump.

»...who's? And... _how_ in god's name?!«

Dan lifted his hands in an attempt to calm you down.

»Listen... all teachers of the college get health checks once a year. And I... have a friend at the first aid facility. For fifty bucks he got me Professor Evans' blood sample.«

You just couldn't believe your ears. This guy... should be a criminal.

»And what... you wanna impale him with that?«

»Jepp. No more dead people. Dan Willson saves the day!«

With that said, he continued his hunt. And from that point on, he was unstoppable. Nothing you said could hold him back or slow him down. This was bad. If the spell really worked, he would find the janitor to be the source of all evil. And he would put a stake through him. As much as he gave you the creeps and messed with your head, you didn't want him dead. Sure, you could say he deserved it. He killed people. But that just wasn't what you wanted. You kept on running after Daniel, and before you could blink you stood inside the college, heading for the stairs. It worked. Your pulse pounded inside your head, nervousness filling your chest. He was about to find him. For real. You had no clue what to do. Helplessly you climbed the staircase until you reached the upper floor.

»We're close.« Dan finally slowed down, sneaking down the hallway now. He had pulled the stake, ready to attack.

That was it. You couldn't let him do this. After taking a deep breath, you were ready to grab his arm, when suddenly the lights went out. The streetlights from outside were the only thing to light the aisle now.

»L-Let's forget about it, Dan. Come on!« You whispered.

...

»... Dan?«

The boy still stood in front of you, but didn't move anymore. When you reached for his shoulder, you felt that he was completely stiff.

»D-Dan! Hey!« You tried to shake him, but it was useless. He looked like a statue.

»You know... you're really breaking my heart, sugar.«

You threw your head around, to see the silhouette of a short man standing about twenty meters away from you. Of course, his voice alone had given him away.

»I thought we were buddies... at least.«

He began to slowly walk towards you, stepping into the dimly moonlight. His face wasn't the same as usual. It was cold, and stern.

Fear took a hold of you, and you quickly wrenched the stake from Dan's hands. You stumbled backwards, your eyes stuck on Gabriel. When he noticed the stake in your shaking hand, his face darkened even more.

»So you snitched me.«

You just shook your head in pure terror, as your back touched the wall behind you. You pressed yourself against it, holding the stake in front of you, defensively. But Gabriel soon made his last step towards you. There he stood. Only a meter between you and him, angry eyes glancing down at you. So this was how his victims had felt. Bryan, Tina, Professor Evans. You felt your eyes tear up against your will.

»That's your attempt to kill me?« He sneered, pointing at your weapon.

»Go ahead. Kill me.«

You blinked, as he spread his arms, giving you plenty of space to attack. Your hands were shaking so badly, you could barely hold the stake. You lifted it up slowly, but a heavy feeling in your chest seemed to pull it down again. You couldn't do this. It was not possible.

Gabriel rolled his eyes at this, making it look like he was annoyed be the boredom of this show. With a quick move he took the wooden stake from you.

»That way, honey.«

Before you could even blink he had rammed the stake through his torso, making you jump in shock.

» _Gabriel!_ « You screamed out, with your hands in your face.

The janitor bowed over, coughing badly. You hid your eyes, shaking from the picture you just saw. But your hands sunk down as soon as his coughing turned into dry chuckle. You opened your eyes to see Gabriel standing tall again, pulling the stake back out. Half of his blue work-clothes were drenched in an awful red from the visible injury in his chest. He just smiled sarcastically, as he let the stake drop to the floor.

»Hmm. That didn't work so well, did it?« He looked down at the bloody mess, unimpressed.

Your lips trembled, thoughts racing through your brain.

»Y-You... you are... you are not... a trickster.«

Gabriel grimaced like made a really dumb comment.

»Never said that.«

Your whole body felt so weak right now, the world around you seemed to black out. All the blood and fear made you wanna throw up. Your legs gave in and you felt yourself slowly sinking down to the ground unpleasantly.

* * *

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	13. 13 - Stubbornness

Your memory of the rest of this day was rather blurry. You had woken up a few hours later. Not where you had passed out though. In the middle of the lawn outside the college was where you found yourself. Your body was so cold, you could barely move at first. What the hell had happened? That wasn't a dream. In fact, this time you were sure it was real. The thought of Dan made you finally push yourself up from the grass. Every bone in your body seemed to hurt as you stood up. You didn't have to search very long though. Your friend laid under a big oak tree, between the yellow leafs and looked like an oversized, starved hedgehog.

After managing to wake him up, and getting him to speak, you concluded, he had some kind of amnesia. The last thing he seemed to know, was that you both entered the building to find the trickster. The rest was gone. Along with the piece of magic cloth. Even if it meant you were alone with this experience again, you believed it was the best this way. You decided to tell him you couldn't remember either. Dan was so dazed, you had to escort him back home, before returning to your own place.

A week had passed since that, and you still lived in constant fear. Every morning you entered the college with the big crowd you usually avoided. It made you feel saver now. And every evening you left with Margie or Dan. You hadn't even set a foot in the cafeteria at lunch break. Even if you knew you probably couldn't hide, you tried to. You were sure you were on his list now. He had called you a snitch. If he caught you alone, he would probably create your personal nightmare, whatever that was. Just the thought of his face in the dark, made you shiver.

Today wasn't different. At least for you. It was the day of the winter fest, and you stood at your stall in the main hallway. Margie was pouring batter into the waffle iron, with an expression of pure happiness across her face. It was as far away from your mood, as it possibly could. You sold a few waffles, before you left your position to go to the toilets. Because of the stall, you couldn't take Margie with you. Whatever, the college was packed that day. That's what you kept telling yourself. But your heart was racing all the way to the restrooms. Your eyes scanned every face you passed. Not only for the janitor, you also tried to find Dan. Maybe he knew some sort of defense against tricksters. That's when you shook your head a little. That stake didn't work at all. So he _wasn't_ a trickster. But how could you give Dan a hint? You had told him you didn't remember. Even if you could, that might just end in another suicidal hunting trip. What a mess. Locking yourself in the toilet cabin, you wondered if you were afraid enough of snakes to make Gabriel send them through the pipes. Maybe killer rats? You probably weren't creative enough. But what was it that you were most afraid of?

 _Him._

There was nothing else you could think of. You slowly turned your head around to peer into the empty toilet, imagining Gabriel crawling out of it. The picture was so odd, you weren't sure if you should laugh or scream. Now it was hard to sit down, but you had no choice. Don't be such a wussy. You tried to clear your mind, when a conversation in the cabin next to yours caught your attention. Two girls seemed to discuss something in whispering voices.

»... okay, show me.«

»... there... see?«

»... damn... is that really...?«

»Told you I would get it.«

»But how?«

»My aunt used to have a cat.«

»So what... you dug it out...?«

»... well, she will be mighty pissed when she finds her flower patch messed up, haha.«

Both girls chuckled hysterically, before leaving the restroom together. Now what the hell was that? Is everyone here finally going nuts? You went to the sink to wash your hands and decided not to think about it too much. It was time to get back to Margaret and help her with her beloved waffles. You made your way back to the hall, keeping your head as low as possible. The smiling girl with the glasses was still at her place, stirring her bowl of batter. There was something cute to her sometimes. When she noticed your return, she quickly cleaned her hands with a towel.

»There you are!«

»Uhm... yeah? I've just been to the toilet, like I said...«

»Your... friend... was here.«

At that your face changed into a question mark.

»... my... friend...?«

»Yeah. He was looking for you.«

»Wait, _what_ friend?«

»You know... that guy with the blond hair... and... and those... stunning eyes...«

Margie pushed up her glasses, as if she was trying to hide her pink cheeks. You just stared at her in some kind of disbelieve. Of course you knew who she meant, and it made all the color _your_ face fade away.

»H-he bought a waffle, and said it was the best one he ever had.« She said, sounding very proud and flattered.

Then she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to you.

»He also told me to give you this. I haven't read it, I promise!«

You swallowed a lump as you took the folded little sheet from her. How did he even know you would be here? Well, he was in the gym when you volunteered for this job. Damn it. You unfolded the note nervously.

 _'Don't go home alone tonight!'_

Your hands started to shake a little as you read the words. This was a threat, no doubt. Your mind blanked out for a moment, while Margie leaned closer to your ear, whispering.

»... is he... your boyfriend...?«

That made you snap out of it.

»My boyfr- … NO!«

Why did everyone that sees him, assume that?! Gabriel's self-confident grinning face appeared in your head again, and the anxiousness was pushed aside by some kind of anger.

»O-oh... okay... I just thought...«

 **Screw him.**

»He's the goddamn _janitor_ of this place!«

 **Screw his half-ass threats.**

»... uh... w-what...?«

 **And screw his stupid message.**

That's what you told yourself when you left the college at the end of the day. _Alone._ Yeah, all alone. I'm not afraid of you. Nah. Not at all. Most of the way. Or... at least until you reached the park. You had decided to take another way home. Where nobody would expect you to go. It was a big detour though, and it was dark out here. Your confidence melted away within minutes. You were surrounded by trees and bushes, blocking your view into the the distance. There was a small stream somewhere to your left, you could only hear, but not see. The lamps on the wayside were so weak, each only lit a few meters and left the space between them pitch black. You walked quickly already, and when you heard what sounded like hollow voices somewhere in the distance, you almost started running. There must be some kids hanging around here. But whoever it was, you didn't want to find out. You kept your eyes on the ground, trying not to fall over anything, you didn't see. There could be a bear trap on the middle of the path, and you wouldn't notice until you stepped into it. You weren't even sure if you were still on the right track. Everything looked the same now. You kept hearing the people somewhere, and it almost drove you crazy. Like a nightmare that doesn't want to end. You were about to take a left turn, when you were blocked by something worse standing in the way.

»... was that note really so hard to understand...?«

Your heart almost stopped, when Gabriel appeared out of nowhere, staring at you with a rare seriousness.

You turned around, ready to make a dash, but you fell over your own feet. You hit the ground hard, before trying to crawl away in pure mortal fear.

»I said _don't go alone_. And now look at you.«

When you finally managed to get back up, you were about to run for your life. Logical thinking was turned off.

»Not that way.«

You didn't even listen to what he said, when you started to flee. Either way you only got five meters, before you heard a snap.

»I said _NOT THAT WAY._ «

The same second, your feet felt like glued to the ground, making it impossible to move. No matter how much you tried to fight it, you couldn't get any further. That was it. You were an idiot for sure. Great idea running into the park at night. Even under normal conditions, this would have been dumb. Just when you tried to decide if you should beg, scream or cry, those voices were there again. And now they were close. You had run away from them earlier, but now it seemed they could be your salvation. You opened your mouth to shout, but Gabriel already grabbed your face from behind, muffling the sound and pulling you off the walkway, into the bushes.

» _...hhnn!_ «

»Sshhht! Be quiet!«

»... _ghnnn... hnnn!_ «

You tried to pull his hand down from your mouth, but he was much stronger than he looked like.

»Man... humans and their stubbornness!«

With another snap of his fingers, your voice was simply gone. He lowered his hand to let you breathe, since screaming was no option anymore. With a firm grip, he pulled you to knee on the ground with him. Just now, you dared to actually look him in the eyes. His expression was hard to read. He didn't seem as angry as you had expected. A little annoyed maybe. If not stressed.

»Listen, I'll undo this, but you gotta be quiet and do exactly what I say. Got it?«

You slowly nodded, not having any clue, what that meant. But what choice did you have?

»Alright, good girl.«

Then it snapped once more. You felt your voice was back, but you didn't dare to do anything.

»And now... you stay right here. And when I say right here, I mean _right friggin' here!_ Do you understand that, honey pie?«

You quickly nodded again.

»Wonderful.«

Then you watched Gabriel get up and make his way back out of the bushes. Confusion was everything that was left in your brain. What the hell was happening right now?

* * *

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	14. 14 - Feathered

There you were, kneeling on the cold bark mulch behind a thickset, white rhododendron. It was impossible to see the whole walkway from your hideout, but you could hear as Gabriel stepped onto the pavement. That was the moment, when the unknown voices stopped. You crawled a little closer to the bush, trying to peek through it. What you were able to see, wasn't exactly the group of kids you had expected. You counted four girls around your age, all dressed in black or very dark shades of blue and gray. The picture reminded you of the 'goth kids' Tina had spoken of. That however, wasn't the weirdest part of the scene. The girls seemed to be following this man, standing a step ahead of them now. It looked like some kind of celebrity chased by a few groupies. The guy was very tall, slim and had dark hair. He wore a simple black suit like some sort of business man, one hand in his pocket. A creepy grin formed on his face, when his way was blocked by Gabriel, who stood about ten meters away from the group. The stranger took a deep breath through his nose, as if he was trying to catch a scent.

»Hmmmh... one from the penthouse. Interesting.« The man said in a dark voice.

One of the black ladies, lifted a brow, pointing at Gabriel, who still wore his work-clothes.

»... isn't that... our janitor...?«

He took a sniff as well, obviously imitating the guy in the suit.

»... hmmmh... a sulfur-fart. Disgusting.«

What the hell were they talking about...? Wait, _sulfur_...?

The man just chuckled to himself.

»I don't know, which one you are, but I suggest, you get your feathered ass out of the way.«

»Oh, you don't want to know, which one I am, stinker.«

Something silvery appeared in Gabriel's hand, and the other guy's expression changed.

»I suggest... you go back, where you came from.«

»I'm afraid I can't do that. Deal is deal.«

The janitor frowned a little, at that answer.

»Aren't those a little too young to sell their souls?«

»... do I look like I care?« The tall man laughed.

The four girls stood in a bunch, holding onto each other, while watching the scene. Gabriel was about to walk towards him, when the other man lifted his hand.

»I'd love to keep chatting with you, but... I've got bigger fish to fry.«

And with a snap, he just disappeared.

The girls looked around in surprise, but then decided to run away together.

You waited until you couldn't hear them anymore, before you finally stood up, brushing off your pants. Gabriel mumbled something to himself in an annoyed tone, when you got out of the rhododendron. You weren't sure what to say or do, though you had more questions than ever. You just stood there, looking at him while he put the silver thing, that looked like a huge dagger now, into his inside pocket. Then his eyes turned to you, and stayed there for a few seconds.

»... see why I didn't want you to be out alone tonight...?« He waved his hand in the direction the girls had run off.

You barely looked in his face. It was hard to do, somehow.

»And you ran away from _me_. Heh... « He chuckled, but it had a disappointed undertone.

»... so... you're... _protecting_ me...?« You hardly dared to ask that, because it sounded so wrong.

»It's what I do, all the time.«

What?

You just gave him a questioning face.

»Guess I shouldn't, huh? After all you tried to impale me.«

»T-that wasn't my idea! Dan wanted to find you!«

»Dan, huh?«

»Yes!«

»Dan... and you.«

»Hey! I tried to hold him back!«

»...«

You gasped, defending yourself. This was ridiculous. But it wasn't even what was on your mind now. And you couldn't keep it to yourself.

»What was that...?« You pointed into the darkness.

Gabriel looked into the park.

»What do you think...?«

It seemed as if he already knew what you were guessing.

»Is... is he... a... _demon_?«

The man in the blue clothes looked back to you, meaningfully. So it was true. After all the crazy stuff that had happened to you by now, the thought of a demon still frightened you.

»And... those girls... they... «

»Summoned him.«

You swallowed.

»Why would someone summon a demon...?«

»As it seems... they made a deal. One of them sold her soul. Maybe all of them.«

»They sold... their soul...?!«

You couldn't believe someone would actually do that.

»You would be surprised how many people do that.« Gabriel shrugged.

Your imagination began to run wild. The most precious thing to sell is your soul, right? What would a demon do for four souls? What could those girls want so badly?

The questions kept you thinking all the way, until ten minutes later, you were back in the city. Gabriel had escorted you home to make sure you wouldn't make any more circuits, as he said. Finally there, he waited until you would close the door behind you. But your hand just wouldn't move the key to even open it. There was one thing that bothered you. More that the goth girls or even that demon. You turned around to look into those eyes. Those damn eyes. The ones that had stunned you, the first time you saw them. You still didn't know who they belonged to.

»What are you?«

»...«

» _Which one_ are you?«

He stared down at you for a moment, without any expression. But then he smiled a little, almost sheepishly.

»Honey, I told you my name.«

»Yeah, but-«

»That's who I am.«

He spread his arms, slowly walking backwards. You looked at the ground in your confusion, just for a second. But when you lifted your head again, he was gone.

»G-Gabriel...?«

There you stood, alone again.

»... Gabriel...«

And you finally turned your key.

»Gabriel.«

It was almost two in the morning and you were wide awake, staring at the tablet you had borrowed from Debra earlier. Your eyes kept on wandering from one picture to another, that appeared on the screen. You scanned every single result you got from searching for this name. This just couldn't be true. All those pictures of old paintings, showing curly-haired young men, or even women, in robes and... with wings. That was so not your janitor. Though you had to to admit, some of them even reminded you of him somehow. But that was just your brain, playing tricks on you now. ...right? As if he, of all people you knew, could be... well... an _angel_. Your concept of an angel looked a little different, and it definitely didn't involve scaring and killing people. Also, him being _this_ Gabriel would make him an _archangel_. You couldn't help but imagining the janitor appearing in front Mary, chewing on a Snickers. Well there were no Snickers back then. Maybe... a... date? They were sweet. God, those thoughts were so stupid and impossible. He was nothing like an angel! Where was his halo? His wings? Thinking of that, you remembered the demon guy, calling his ass 'feathered'. You frowned. That didn't prove anything. … did it? Your head started to hurt and you decided to turn off the tablet. You put it away and just stared at the ceiling. What to do now? You so wanted to call Dan and ask him about it. He would know how to make sure. But that wouldn't hold him back from trying to kill Gabriel again. If not with a stake, then with whatever worked. And he still seemed to be sore about that, though it looked like he didn't really want to murder you. That was good news at least. Well, there was a demon out here somewhere, that made Gabriel look like a minor problem. Anyway, you needed a plan. A good plan. Tomorrow you would go and... do something. Yeah... something... helpful. Something... anything... whatever... that means.

* * *

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	15. 15 - Gifts Are Optional

The next day, you still didn't have any clue _what_ to do about... well... everything. You so wished for one simple, boring college day, and for a while that's what it was. You daydreamed through half of the day, drawing little swirls all over the sides of your sheets, almost hypnotizing yourself. There was not a single word from the professor, you really understood. If only you had a pillow, you would sleep better now, than you did last night. You were pretty sure you had dreamed something, but you couldn't remember what it was.

When it was time for lunch break, you made your way to the cafeteria, as usual. You got in line, which wasn't very long today. They finally sold burgers again, and you couldn't wait to eat something other than Margie's gummy bears. When it was your turn, you pointed at the menu.

»A cheeseburger, please.«

The young guy behind the counter was at least two meters tall, very slender with carrot-red hair and a face full of freckles. He stared down at you as if you said something in a foreign language. He squinted a little, making you feel like you had a hard to read text on your forehead. Now you frowned a little.

»Uhm... I said...-«

»Are you (Y/N)?«

You blinked in confusion.

»Uh... yeah...?«

The boy turned around to grab something from the top of a fridge. Then he took one of the cheeseburgers and put in on a plate. He placed it on the counter along with the pink letter.

»That's 2,29$. Next time I'll charge my services as a mailman.«

You frowned again, while handing him the money.

»What the hell is this...?«

»What do I know? The janitor gave me this. He said you would order a cheeseburger, and that you would look like this.«

You did not ask what 'this' meant, even though you were curious. You just took your food and the letter and turned away, in a strange sort of embarrassment. Once you had reached your usual place, you took a bite of your lunch and then quickly opened up that awfully pink envelop. The sheet inside had the same color. When you unfolded it, a little chocolate bar fell out of it.

»... very funny.« You mumbled.

You pushed it aside, and read the small, neatly written words.

'Visit me tonight.

Bring your little friend. (You know, the one with the grandma-glasses.)

Gifts are optional.

Gabe'

You just stared at the letters with the dumbest expression on your face, trying to understand what the hell this meant. Seriously? He wants you to bring Margaret to... what... some of his crazy ' _midnight buffets_ '?! Could you even consider that? What were you supposed to tell her? Last time the two of you talked about him, you were angry and didn't exactly hide it. You began to rub the bridge of your nose, trying to make a decision. There must be a reason for this... right?

A few hours later, you and Margie walked upstairs, heading to the janitors apartment. You had told her he was some sort of a friend, since you sometimes met and talked at the cafeteria. After roughly quoting the letter (leaving out the part about her glasses), she got all jittery and nervous about the fact, he invited her too. Now she was walking beside you, holding a plate full of freshly baked chocolate-chip-cookies. She was really good at cooking and baking, and the smell alone made your taste buds tingle. Since it was 'optional', you had brought nothing but suspicion.

»I hope he likes cookies...« Margie smiled a bit.

»Oh... don't worry 'bout that...« You rolled your eyes.

After walking down the last, dark aisle, you finally reached the right door. You silently exhaled and lifted your hand to knock. However, before you could do so, the door swung open making you flinch in surprise.

»Helloooo ladies!« Gabriel sung with a big grin on his face.

You just stood there, examining him. Looking for something out of the ordinary. Well, compared to usually.

»Hello... ' _Gabe'_.« You said, without any expression.

He gave you a brief smile, but then turned to Margie.

»Do I smell cookies...?« His eyes widened.

The girl's cheeks turned red until she resembled a tomato. She lowered her head, smiling awkwardly.

»Y-yes...«

Gabriel stepped aside to let the both of you in. As soon as he had closed the door, he gently took the plate from Margie, putting it on the counter. Then he gave her a beautiful smile.

»How very kind of you.« He said in a soft voice.

Then he turned his head to you, the smile slightly fading.

»Look what she made! Why don't you ever make cookies for me?«

 _What?_

Your clenched your fists, remembering how you baked that stupid cake in the middle of the night. You swallowed an answer, refusing to let him provoke you.

»Ah, I need to introduce you to someone, come one.«

He walked over to Margaret, put a hand on her back and led her through the room to the couch, where Archie was sleeping. Something about this picture suddenly bothered you like crazy. You didn't know why, but it reminded you of the first time _you_ were here. All alone eating pie and watching cake boss with Gabriel.

You shook your head and cleared your throat to get his attention. When that didn't seem to work, you tried it again, louder. You folded your arms, waiting for him to come back to you. But he just turned his head around.

»Do you need a cough drop, (Y/N)?«

That was enough. You made it through the living room quickly, grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him away from Margie, who was distracted by the dog.

»What the heck are you playing here?!« You aggressively whispered.

Gabriel gave you a confused look.

»I just thought you might feel the need to talk. After you found out about my... secret.« He raised a brow.

»...what...?! Oh no... you are-« You paused for a second, to make sure Margie wasn't hearing you.

»... you are _not_ an angel!«

The small man's expression changed into something unreadable. He looked to the side and exhaled in an exhausted sounding way.

»I guess I saw that coming...«

With that said, he stood tall, looked over to Margaret and snapped. The girl froze on the spot, similar to Dan a few days ago. You had no idea what was about to happen now, and it made you kind of nervous. Gabriel walked away from you and placed himself in the middle of the room. Then he waved his hand and Margie began to move towards him, like a puppet on strings. He somehow made her stand right next to him, her face completely blank.

»... what are you doing...?« You didn't like what was going on right now.

»Relax. Enjoy the show.«

He winked and then leaned over to Margie to speak into her ear.

»What's your name?«

»Margaret Louise Reid.«

»Where were you born?«

»Bellwood, Illinois.«

»Your favourite food...?«

»Lasagna.«

»what about...-«

At that point, you just raised both of your hands.

»Whoa, stop! Is that supposed to prove your point?«

Gabriel didn't answer.

»I bet any demon could do that. That proves nothing.«

»... fine... how about... this.«

Now Gabriel raised his right hand and with a sharp sound, something flew out of the kitchen and directly into his palm. It was an eight inch cooking knife, the shining blade reflecting one side of his face. The color left your skin, and before you could even react, the so-called angel had grabbed Margie's right arm and slid the knife all across it's length. A terrifying stream of blood was oozing out of the clean cut and dripped onto the white flokati. You were so shocked, no word left your mouth. Then Gabriel dropped the knife to the floor and raised his right thumb. He made an elegant move, that seemed to be just for the show and reminded you of David Copperfield or something. His finger made his way from the bottom to the top of the long wound, causing it to disappear and leaving nothing but the blood.

»Healing.« He said, sounding almost bragging.

Your mouth was open, until you forced yourself to shut it. Healing indeed sounded biblical in a way. On the other hand, you had seen magic tricks more impressive than that. You straightened your face again and shrugged.

»I don't believe you.«

Something about that seemed to turn a switch in Gabriel. His face darkened as he let go of Margie's arm and started marching towards you. You stumbled backwards, but the kitchen counter was right behind you.

»So, what do I have to do, to _make_ you believe me, princess?«

His jaw made a cracking sound as he spoke in an angry tone.

»Do I need to grow grass out of my hand?«

Something in his eyes seemed to flicker.

»Walk on water maybe?«

The whole room seemed to darken a notch and your own body felt so much smaller.

»Why not dividing the sea, huh?!«

Your eyes widened as some kind of warm light spread from behind Gabriel's back and rose all over the apartment's walls, like a giant projection. It was glittering in stunning shades of gold and painted the whole room with the color of a sunset. It was hard to get the shape of it, because the small flat didn't seem to be able to contain this. But as you slowly turned your head around in pure amazement, following the lines on the wall, you thought you recognized a wing. The atmosphere was indescribable. It seemed to be warm, and perfectly pleasant, like being wrapped in a fluffy blanked and absolutely weightless. When you turned your head back, you found Gabriel was standing right in front of you now, his stern face completely out of place. He looked up, as if he had just realized what had happened. He breathed out, and within a second, the whole glow disappeared. It felt like something heavy pulled you down now, and your heart was pumping so hard, it almost hurt. The air seemed cold and dry as if you had just woken up from a dream.

Your eyes met Gabriel's, who was about to say something, but you nodded.

You just nodded.

* * *

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	16. 16 - A Victory

Archie the dog was sleeping peacefully, not minding you sitting next to him, still feeling a little dazed. You were staring at Margie, the pillar of salt. Gabriel came back from the kitchen and sat down on the couch as well. He put a glass of Fanta in you hand and waited until you drank a sip from it. Your hand was shaking a little, causing the glass to make a clinking sound on your teeth.

»So, eh...« Gabriel scratched the back of his head.

He looked like he felt quite uneasy. As if you had just seen him naked or something. You had never seen that face on him before. It took a few seconds before he ended his sentence.

»... I invited you today... because I need your help.«

Your eyes moved from your drink back to the archangel. It was a little hard to talk right now.

»... my... my help...?«

What could you possibly help an angel with? Thinking about it, you just realized he must be so much more powerful than you had ever imagined him to be. You wondered what he was capable of.

»Yes, _your_ help.« He looked at you seriously.

You closed your eyes for a second, trying to pull yourself together and think straight again.

»How...? I mean... I'm... just a human. Hell, I'm not even a strong one.«

»That doesn't matter. You are smart, quick and...«

»... and?«

»... and I trust you.«

Did he really just say that, or was it just your overused brain? Somehow you didn't know how to respond to that. The scene with the stake in your hands came back to your mind. The angry 'So you snitched me' echoing in the hallway. Had he really forgotten that? Or... _forgiven_ you?

»Look, I need you exactly _because_ you are a human, okay?«

He looked you straight in the eye, searching for your attention. It was hard to find. There was nothing but confusion.

»Remember those shady girls in the park? And the demon?«

You nodded lowly.

»Whatever they plan to do, it won't be fun for anyone other than them. We need stop that crap.«

 _We?_

»W-wait, what...?«

»I know where they are. And I would just walk in there and crash the party, but... I'm an angel.«

Your face deformed even more.

» _But_... you're an angel?« You said, making a gesture with you hands, that looked like fluttering wings.

He had killed countless people and played sick tricks on everybody, and now he was too 'good' to kick a few asses?

Gabriel grimaced.

»No, not like that!« He protested but then leaned back, obviously trying to look confident.

»I'm heaven's deadliest weapon, sugar!«

Sure.

»...and that deadly weapon can't handle four chicks.«

»You should see me handling chicks.« He wiggles his eye brows.

That... idiot. You sighed, and started to rub your forehead, while Gabriel sat straight again, to get back to the topic.

»I will show you the problem. If you come with me.«

He looked at you, until he found your eyes again.

»So... will you help me?«

A part of you couldn't believe you actually said yes to this. Thinking it through, you had agreed to help some holy serial-killer hunt down a bunch of half-ass satanists and their spawn of hell, or whatever. What a fun night. The both of you walked down a small, dark alley somewhere in the west part of the city. It was quiet out here, expect for a barking dog somewhere in the distance. Gabriel seemed to smell your scepsis and did his best, trying to convince you.

»As long as this demon is out here, everyone is in danger.« He waved his hand around, searching for an example.

»It could get Margie.«

Your head turned to him, when he mentioned her and you bit your tongue a bit.

»Maybe you should have asked _her_ to help you.«

You didn't even know why you said that. Especially in that annoyed tone. Gabe took a look at you, wondering.

»Hmm... you mean for the cookies? That's a good point...« He scratched his chin.

You crunched your teeth a bit, regretting you had brought that idea up. And Gabriel wouldn't leave it at that.

»You think she would bring treats each time?« He scratched his chin, considering this option.

»... yeah... yeah I'm pretty sure she would.«

»She truly is a cutie, isn't she.«

»Yeah, she's adorable.« You said in a dry voice, rolling your eyes.

You were sick of this conversation and luckily, you had just reached your destination. It was the end of the street and you looked at an abandoned tennis court behind a low wire mesh fence. There was a small cottage further in the back, looking like the club house. Dim lights flickered in the windows.

»... that's where they are?« You whispered, goosebumps growing on your arms.

»Yes.«

Without a warning, Gabriel had grabbed you by the waist, to lift you over the fence.

»H-hey!«

»Pssshhh!«

He looked around, before climbing over as well. Then he took your hand, again not caring about your private space, and dragged you all over the field, closer to the little house. He made you duck behind an old rain barrel with him, waiting a few seconds, before starting his explanation.

»So... all I need you to do is, help me get in there.«

»Take the door...?«

»I can't. «

»Why not?«

»Since they saw me in the park, they took a few precautions.«

»Like what...?«

»Sigils.«

»What?«

»Angelic symbols. In this case, to prevent angels from entering the building. It's probably just one.«

You turned your head to the cottage's frontage, searching for anything unusual.

»It's inside. I need you to undo it for me.«

»You want me to go in there? Alone?!«

Gabriel remained silent for a moment. Then he put his hand inside his jacket and pulled something out. It was the silver blade you had seen back in the park. He held it in front of your face and looked you straight in the eye.

»Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Once you destroy the sigil, I will be by your side, quicker than you can say my name. Just search for any kind of large symbol and mess it up.«

You still didn't like the idea.

»They are at the basement. Nobody will notice you. But in case someone _does_ comes up...«

The angel took your hand and put the blade into it.

»... use that.«

You looked at the shiny thing in confusion, while Gabriel already opened a window.

»Oh, and try not to drop it. This thing can kill me.«

Before you realized anything, you had been pushed inside the little house, finding yourself in a small, old kitchen. It didn't look like anyone had used it in years. You swallowed a lump and slowly started to tiptoe through the room. There were no symbols at all, unless you counted the ugly pattern of the wallpapers. You went out of the kitchen to enter the hall, where you found the door to the basement. Voices could be heard from deep down there. This was a nightmare. What had that stupid, useless angel gotten you into, again? The word 'angel' still sounded strange in your head. You made it past the door and looked around a corner into the next room. It was a living room and so dark, you couldn't see a damn thing. You held the blade up, wishing it was a flashlight. While you tried to decide if you should search for a light switch or not, you heard someone coming up the stairs.

»Shit.«

You silently sneaked backwards, hoping to get invisible in the darkness. One of the girl's heels were clicking on the stone stairs before the cellar door opened. Luckily, she turned the other way. You tried to relax a bit, but a minute later the steps came back your way, in a more aggressive way. She must have found the window to be open.

»Amanda!«

The scream made you flinch and your heart race like crazy. More steps on the stairs. The door opening again. Someone was holding a candle. This was bad.

'Nobody will notice you.' he said. Sure.

In an attempt to make it further away from them, you kept on moving but hit something solid with your right leg. You lost your balance and fell on your back. The impact was loud enough for them to hear. The light of the candle lit the small living room. And you.

»Who the hell is this?!« A black haired girl squeaked.

You blinked at the warm light that now revealed the same awful wallpaper as in the kitchen. Nothing at the walls, expect faded photographs. _Get up._ That's all you could think about. The tallest of the girls was about to leap at you. When you tried to push yourself up from the floor, you realized you had fallen into something. It was dry white paint. Before even finishing your thought, you had grabbed the blade and carved through one of the broad lines. The dark lady already had a hand on your throat, when Gabriel grabbed the top of her head from behind. Her face turned blank and her grip loosened, while he put his other hand in her pocket. What he pulled out, looked like the piece of a clay bowl.

»It's the angel! Run!« The black-haired shouted.

The three girls scattered and ran for their lives. Gabriel went after one that fled upstairs. You finally made it back on your feet, and pulled the blade out of the floor. You saw how one of them tried to crawl through a hole in the fence outside. Somehow your fear was gone, and you ran out onto the court, grabbed her by the legs and pulled her back.

»Let me go, you little bitch!« She struggled.

You tried to control her with the blade, but she was quick enough to get your arm. Fighting her wasn't easy, since she was heavier than you. She somehow managed to roll on top of you, turning the dagger around, which pointed to your face now. You didn't let go of it, but your hand were shaking under her pressure. The tip of the weapon touched your cheek, as you turned your head to the side, cutting through the skin like butter.

»That's for ruining our rit-«

With a loud smack, the girl was pulled from you, her face hitting the ground. Gabriel took his blade back, and froze her the same way he did it with the others. He reached for your hand, to help you up, before searching her pockets as well. You exhaled exhausted and brushed off your clothes.

»... what... are you doing...?«

After finding what he was searching for, he held up three pieces of a bowl. It didn't look complete though.

»What... is this?«

»Part of a ritual. I guess they used it to summon the demon.«

»Huh...« You took a look around.

»One of them got away...?«

»Yeah... unfortunately. But don't worry, we'll get her soon enough.«

He took a step towards you and carefully put his fingers on your cheek. It was a warm, tingling feeling, when the little cut healed away.

»Good job.« Gabriel winked.

You just smiled tiredly.

Finally back at his apartment, he released Margie after cleaning the dried blood off her arm. She hadn't moved a single inch, while Archie had licked her shoes clean. Gabe planted some kind of memory in her brain, making her believe you all had a great dinner. He also had eaten a bunch of her cookies to make it look 'realistic' as he said. He might be an angel, but the term 'trickster' still fitted him very well. After a little more talking, he brought you and your friend to the door, holding Archie in his arm.

»Has been a lovely night, ladies.«

Margie smiled shyly and blushed again when their eyes met. She could hardly look at him, but did it out of courtesy.

You watched them both, looking at each other, when it overcame you. Something in you pushed you.

Without saying a word, you stepped to Gabriel's side, reached for his shoulders and pulled him to you. Margie's eyes widened in pure surprise, as you kissed him right in front of her. Archie reacted the same way, hardly resisting to join in. Like automatic, your fingers ran through the curly hair in his neck. You didn't know what you were doing, but you didn't even care. It felt good. It felt like a victory. Your cautiousness came back when you finally released him.

»...« He just looked at you in a pleasantly surprised way.

A smile slowly grew on his face, which was the signal for you to go.

»Good night.« Was all you could add.

Clearing you throat, you marched away, Margaret quickly following you. You knew you would probably regret that soon. But right now, you didn't.

* * *

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	17. 17 - To Have A Good Time

It was a beautiful, sunny day and you could hear the birds chirp as the doors of the bus opened. In fact, it was a Saturday and the only reason you were here, in a part of the city you had never been to before, was this text message you had gotten earlier. From _him_. You had no idea how he had your phone number, but by now you weren't very surprised anymore. He had just sent you a time and address, so you figured it was about this last evil lady. You were a little nervous, hoping you wouldn't have to sneak around in an old house again. A lot of people got out of the bus with you and you quickly realized why. When you looked up, you found yourself at the entrance of a building. The sign over the gate revealed it was a zoo. That's where a satanist spends her weekends...? Your confusion grew even bigger when you finally spotted Gabriel. He was standing at a large fountain... next to Margie. It looked like she was listening to some kind of story, smiling happily. When you came closer, she was the one that noticed you first.

»Hey, (Y/N)!«

You raised a brow, eyeing her and then him.

»... hey.«

Gabriel gave you a big smile.

»Ready for some fun?« he chuckled and gave both of you a ticket.

Margie went through the gate first, so you took the chance to pull Gabriel back a bit.

»...the zoo?« You whispered.

»Yeah?« He just grinned a bit, shrugging.

Now you got in as well and Margie who had been waiting a few steps ahead, moved her finger to the left.

»Let's start there!«

The wooden sign above her pointed to a paved walkway, both sided planted with large banana trees and shrubs. It had the picture of a tiger painted on it. Your brain was trying to understand what was going on here, but you just couldn't tell. Why would he invite Margaret again? She didn't know what you were doing and if the goth girl was here, she would just be in the way. It didn't make any sense. You followed her and Gabriel until you reached the first compound. A grown jaguar was sleeping on a large rock in the corner. The girl with the glassed put her hands on the rail and watched the cat breathe. Gabriel turned his head to you and smiled a little bit. You just noticed it, when he grabbed your hand and pulled you to another cage.

»Look at that!«

A puma that had just been fed, was cleaning it's paws contentedly, while laying under a tree. You watched it for a moment and realized that the color if it's eyes reminded you of someone else's. Margie appeared behind you, grinning shyly, as she looked down at your hand, that was still held by Gabriel's.

»You are so sweet.« She cheeped, before walking on.

You suddenly blushed like crazy, but Gabriel already dragged you further. He didn't seem to plan on letting you go any time soon. After you had left his apartment and kissed him two days ago, Margie had just squeaked and grinned. Like someone who had just seen the world's cutest puppy or something. You hadn't exactly talked about it, but she seemed to be fine with it. She still liked him. And you. After all you felt a little stupid for this odd feeling of jealousy you had. This unnecessary kiss now created the most awkward situation. You couldn't pretend not to care about him anymore.

»This way!«

Margie rushed into the next section like an excited little child and Gabe wasn't much different. The next thing you saw, was a big orang utan sitting close to the glass, curiously watching the waving Margaret.

»They are so alike.« Gabriel mumbled amused.

»Not really...« You frowned a bit.

»No?« He looked at you wondering.

»No. She is more like...«

You gazed around at the compounds you could see from here, until you spotted something.

»... that.« You pointed at a few impalas in the distance.

»Lean, timid, hops around quickly.«

He giggled a bit at that while walking on. You made your way through the ape house and into the next area. Gabriel kept holding your hand so firmly, there was no chance of 'accidentally' pulling it away. It made you wonder why he even did that and you felt like you needed a break from it somehow.

»What animal am _I_ like?« He suddenly asked.

»... you?« You raised one brow.

»Let's see...«

You stopped walking and pointed at a cage, doubtless.

»Flashy, talkative and airworthy.« A sulphur-crested cockatoo was looking down at the both of you.

Gabriel obviously tried not to grin, but he couldn't completely keep a straight face.

»You forgot to mention the handsomeness.« He added.

You rolled your eyes, but at the same time it made you wonder if _his_ wings were fluffy. Margie ripped you out of your thoughts.

»I'll be right back, okay?« She pointed at a toilet.

»Wait, I'll come with you!« You used the chance to free yourself from the archangel's grip.

A few minutes later you stood at the sink with Margie next to you. Even without looking, you noticed her sheepish smile. You tried to pretend you weren't aware of it, but it didn't make a difference.

»So... _are_ you...?« She finally whispered.

»... are... _what_?«

»...together.«

Something about that word made your heart beat a little faster.

»No.«

You realized you didn't even know what to call the kind of relationship you had with Gabriel, but you definitely weren't together. It was a mess to you and probably good fun to him.

»... no?« Margie seemed to be surprised.

»No. It's... well... complicated.«

It sounded so stupid, but that's what it was. Unexplainable. You dried your hands and got out of the restroom again. Looking around, you found Gabriel at the cockatoo's cage still. The bird had climbed down a little, to let him caress his head through the grid. It made you wonder if animals could sense what he was. You almost got lost in the thought and this picture, when Gabriel turned around. You quickly put your hands into your pockets and went after Margaret, who was already walking on. The angel followed you silently, but you were sure you felt his eyes on your back. After walking through what looked like a little jungle, you reached the entrance to the aquarium. It was a large building and as soon as you had gone down a few steps, you stood in the dark. It took your eyes a while until they got used to this condition. Everything looked blueish in here and the sound was muffled by the low buzzing of running water filters. Aside from the glass it looked like a cave. There was almost nobody else around, but it was still hard not to lose Margie. She was running from one side to another, like she had never seen a fish before. You slowly walked past a large tank, containing several hammerhead sharks and a stingray. The next one was smaller and showed a bunch of pretty little surgeonfish. The vivid blues and yellows made you stop to look at them a little closer, but before you really could, you were pulled away forcefully. Someone pushed you against the wall at the other side of the room, where it was so dark, it took you five seconds to recognize Gabriel's face in front of yours. It was a little too close and his hands on your upper arms made it impossible for you to move away. Something about this moment was creepy. You moved your shocked eyes to the left.

»... is she here...?« You whispered as low as you could.

Gabriel's face stayed as it was for a while, but then he lifted a brow.

»... _she_?«

»... the goth girls' leader?«

»Why would she be here...?« Now he made a face like you were silly.

»She's not? Why are we here then?«

»To have a good time?« Gabriel shrugged.

Seriously? This was just... for the hell of it? A little weekend trip? Your expression said everything about your confusion.

»We can use a day off, don't you think? The zoo was Margie's idea.«

»... and I was wondering why she is here.« You mumbled to yourself.

»... well...« Gabriel stared so deep into your eyes now, it had that stunning effect again.

»... last time I invited her too, it ended in you kissing me.«

Your cheeks began to heat up as a bold grin slowly formed on his face. You would have ran away now if he didn't hold you were you were. A moment passed, as if he waited for some kind of reaction. When you didn't say anything, he moved so close, his nose was touching yours.

»I didn't know you were _that_ into me.« You could feel his breath on your lips.

»But if you want to make out... I'm in. You just have to say it.«

It was more than tempting and it almost dragged you towards him. But at the same time, something wanted to hold you back. Just nodding now would be admitting your weakness. That he had some kind of control over you. It would mean, letting him win by using you and Margie. And you regretted to be tricked that easily. You lowered your head and moved it to the right, rejecting his offer.

»... no?« Gabriel seemed a little surprised.

You finally freed yourself, your pulse pounding in your head like an air hammer. It felt so warm and stuffy in the room suddenly. All you wanted now, was to get out of here.

»I bet Margaret wouldn't refuse!« He shouted after you, as you walked away from him.

At that you turned around.

» _Shut up!_ «

You didn't exactly know what made you so angry, but the way he treated and manipulated the both of you, just wasn't right. The thought of him, hitting on Margie, made you feel the need to protect her from him. Neither her or you would become his toy. The tone of your voice had changed his expression and made him shut up indeed. You turned away again, left him stand there and made your way through the aquarium to catch up with your friend again. However, even as you reached the exit, she was nowhere to be seen. You were a mess right now, confused and sore, so you decided to just go on your own.

Almost an hour had passed and you felt like you had walked ten miles at least. All the way you didn't know if you felt like crying or punching someone. Eventually, you had stopped at a low fence with goats behind it. They were used to the visitors and let you pet them. It calmed you down a bit. The sun was starting to set, painting everything around you in a warm orange.

»(Y/N)!«

Margie's voice ripped you out of your thoughts. You moved your head around to finally see her face again, just to find that Gabriel was with her. The lump in your throat forced you to turn to your goat again.

»Seems like we all lost each other, huh?« She laughed a bit, putting her hands onto the fence.

»I want to buy one of those plush hippos over there, then we can leave, okay?« She smiled, pointing to a little gift shop.

You just nodded, forcing a smile.

After a minute or so, Gabriel appeared next to you, silently leaning onto the fence. He looked at the goats for a while, not saying a word. From the corner of your eyes you saw a somewhat rueful look on his face. You didn't comment it though.

»... you know what _you_ remind me of...?« His voice sounded unusual low and careful.

You barely looked at him either way.

Gabriel moved his closed hand in you sight and a strange sound seemed to come from the inside. Your eyes widened a bit as he opened it and a little hummingbird appeared, hovering in the air.

»... rare... beautiful... and hard to catch.«

Something in you melted against your will. You watched the small bird flay away, but Gabriel's eyes were on you.

»I apologize for pushing you the way I did.« He looked you over, trying to read you.

»... but not for liking you.«

Margie came back, happily holding a huge purple hippo, so Gabe leaned down to whisper in your ear.

»I won't give up on you like that.«

* * *

Hey people! :) In case that will be deleted for being the wrong format, you can still read at deviantart username NESSASAN


	18. 18 - Your Usual Suspect

Gabriel's damn words still stuck in your head and kept on echoing inside your brain over and over again. The exact words. In his exact voice. It almost drove you crazy and maybe it would have, if this was your only problem. You had woken up that cloudy Sunday afternoon, feeling absolutely awful. Everything was aching, most of all your head. Must have been something you caught in the zoo yesterday. You had gotten up, feeling like a bag full of sand as you carried yourself through the room. The sound of your cellphone had made you snap out of some kind of creepy dream you couldn't remember very well. As you picked the phone up from your desk, you saw it was a message from Margie.

 _'Hey, I just realized I haven't seen Dan in days._

 _Have you heard anything from him?_

 _I'm kind of worried now.'_

You frowned a bit, thinking about it. He was completely absent indeed, which was unusual for him. In fact, the last time you had seen him was shortly after your little hunting trip with the stake. That thought made your whole body tense up.

 _Damn it._

Before you even knew it, you had thrown some clothes on, grabbed your jacket and rushed out of the door. Compared to the day before, it was cold outside, but you didn't even notice that the wind made you cough all the way to the college. Since the library was accessible on Sundays, the doors were open too. You ran up the stairs so quickly, you were completely out of breath once you reached the angel's door. Your fists hammered against the wood firmly until someone opened. Gabriel appeared in an undershirt and red boxer shorts, chewing on something that made a crunching sound. He grinned amused and laid against the door frame when his eyes met yours.

»I knew you would come for me soon, cupcake.«

»Shut up, scumbag!«

You literally jumped at him, angrily bashing your flat hands on his chest again and again.

»What did you do, you damn asshole?!«

»Woah, w-what?« Gabriel raised his hands to fend off your sudden attack.

»Cut the crap, where is he?! Is he dead?!«

»What the hell are you talking about?!«

Now you aimed for his face, but your right wrist was caught an inch before your hand could touch his cheek. Your spare hand tried it again, ending in the same result. Having both your arms, the angel yanked you around to pin you to the wall. His face was somewhere between confusion and annoyance. You stared at him in rage, your lips slightly shaking. This was your fault. Whatever happened to Dan was your fault. The heat inside you began to pound against your ribcage so forcefully, it made your whole body tremble. Gabriel blinked, looking down at where your chest moved up and down from the heavy breathing.

»Woah, hey, sugar...« His voice lowered in an attempt to calm you down.

»Don't... call me... that...«

Ignoring what you said, he let go of your left hand so he could touch your cheek. Then your forehead.

When he did, his expression changed in a strange way.

»Are you delirious, sweetheart...?«

»What? S-shut up and don't touch me!«

You slapped his hand out of your face, but at the same moment some kind of vertigo kicked in, making you topple towards him. Gabriel quickly grabbed you by your shoulders, preventing you from falling. Everything was spinning, but you weren't done with him yet.

»You... you killed... him... didn't you...«

You heard him grunt a bit, before he reached down and lifted you up. The missing ground under your feet didn't exactly make you feel better, but there was no way you could fight him right now.

»... let me... don't...«

»Psshht.«

All you saw now were glimpses of the living room's ugly wallpaper, the wooden ceiling and something white that might have been the dog passing by, as you were carried through the apartment. There was a man talking somewhere and the low sound of chirping insects. Most likely the TV. The smell of tomato sauce crawled up your nostrils for a second and disappeared again. Then everything went black.

The next thing you perceived was a soft, comfortable mattress underneath you and the feeling of cool water, running down your temples slowly. You blinked and tried hard to get your eyes to focus again. At first you just saw something that looked like a blurry, gray star in a dark-brown sky. But it soon turned out to be the ceiling fan. You realized you were laying in a bed in... well... a bedroom.

»Back among the living?«

You moved your eyes to the left and found Gabriel sitting on the floor next to the bed. He eyed you for a moment and then reached for the wet cloth on your forehead to turn it around. The cooler side felt like heaven right now and you finally understood you had a fever. Unable to decide what to do now, you just stared at him, trying to read his face. Somehow you waited for him to fight back now. In a way that's what you wanted. A fight. A discussion. You wanted to hear what he had to say. But Gabriel never did what you expected from him and that didn't change today.

»If that's what happens if I leave you alone for half a day, maybe I _shouldn't_ leave you alone.«

He spoke in a soft tone now and gave you a faint smile, as he reached for your face. The back of his fingers softly caressed your cheek, which didn't exactly help with the fever, but made you shiver inside. Your brain was an empty room again, the sound of your beating heart drowning every thought. Every thought but one.

»...did... you...?« You asked in a quavering voice.

»... did I do _what_...?«

»... did you... « You felt your eyes watering up.

»...did you kill Dan?«

Gabriel's face was like stone for a moment, then he looked down and chuckled in an uninflected way. He looked back at you as if he was trying to show you how stupid that idea was. But your serious expression made his own change.

»Now why would I do that, hm?« He almost whispered.

You swallowed, trying not to cry.

»... he... almost got you. He's a threat... to you.«

At that Gabriel burst into laughter.

»He is a threat...to _me_?« He threw his head back in amusement.

»As far as I remember, your little assault on me ended a disaster. For you.«

He raised a brow, looking unimpressed.

»Last time I saw the boy, he was a pillar of salt in the hallway. One of my most famous tricks by the way.«

You thought about that statement for a second, but then shook your head.

»Where is he then...?«

»What do I know?«

»That's not typical for Dan...«

Gabe rolled his eyes.

»Dan, Dan, Dan. What is it with him?«

»He's a friend, okay?« You frowned a bit, putting the cloth away.

The angel snorted in a bugged way.

»And what am I to you? Just your usual suspect?«

What was absolutely _not_ usual was the way he looked now. Not just pissed or annoyed. Rather... hurt.

You had no idea what to respond to that.

»One day you kiss me, next day you scream at me, today you beat me up. And _I'm_ the asshole?«

Gabriel turned his head away, teeth crunching. You watched him with this rare behavior and pondered. Have you really been that bad? Were _you_ the twisted one? He had always been such a mystery, that you hardly ever considered _his_ feelings. Could he really care about you that much? You opened your mouth to say something. Anything. But before you could, he stood up and turned around.

»...w-where are you going...?«

»...«

»... Gabriel...?«

You had said it loud enough, but he just went out of the room and closed the door behind him. That's how he leaves you? Sick and clueless… in his bed? Tortured by your terrible headache and this whole situation, you exhaled and closed your eyes. Somehow you didn't dare to leave this spot, plus, you were pretty sure you wouldn't be able to walk straight again. So you just stayed there and tried to clear your mind. To take a break.

It took about ten minutes until the door swung open again. Archie the dog rushed into the bedroom, followed his owner, holding a plate. Before you knew it, the little Jack-Russel laid on your belly, happily panting.

»Archie just had dinner, and... well he said you should be fed too.« Gabriel stated as he sat down at the edge of the mattress.

»... _he_ said that?«

»... hmh...« He looked down at the plate for a while.

»I guess you won't let me spoon-feed you... as much as I'd enjoy that... so...«

He reached the steaming noodles over to you, barely looking into your eyes.

»... You have... cooked?« You mumbled, as you sat up straight.

The angel just took a short glimpse at you, which you interpreted as a yes. You took the fork to try your 'fodder'.

»... _hm_...«

»... what?«

»How much sugar is in that sauce...?«

»...uuuhm...«

You had to grin a little, and Gabriel laughed a bit in response. It was edible, in fact, it was quite good, so you kept on eating. He watched you for a while, with a slowly fading smile.

»So... listen.« He finally said.

You looked up from your meal, swallowing the bite.

»I'll help you finding Dan.«

»...really?«

»Yeah. But after that... you'll answer me one question. Honestly.«

His face was dead serious now, and you knew that he meant it. You didn't know what question that would be, exactly, but this was your best chance in finding Dan. Also it meant, that it really wasn't him, which relieved you.

»Okay.«

He nodded a bit, and stood up.

»Oh, and another thing.« He added, about to leave the room again.

»That will be tomorrow. You'll stay the night.«

At that a piece of noodle fell out of your mouth, making Archie wag it's tail pure joy.

* * *

Hey people! :) In case that will be deleted for being the wrong format, you can still read at deviantart username NESSASAN


	19. 19 - Guardian Angel

Since you were pretty much trapped in Gabriel's bedroom, you had decided you could just as well take the opportunity to get some sleep. The sickness had really worn you out after all, and his bed actually felt like heaven. The idea of a pillow filled with angel feathers was the last thing on your mind before you fell asleep. The roaring sound of a crashing thunderbolt ripped you out of your dreams some hours later. You sat straight up in bed, nervously breathing from the shock. It took you a moment to remember where you were and why you were here. You didn't know how late it was, but it was still completely dark outside. A heavy downpour was hitting against the windowpane loudly. You swallowed the lump in your throat, wiped the sweat from your forehead and carefully got out of bed. Slowly you walked through the room to take a look outside. The giant campus wasn't very well lighted and the weather made it even worse. As you moved your eyes over the place, something caught it. There was a dark figure standing under one of the big oak trees. It looked like a person was staring exactly your way. You heart almost stopped as you stumbled backwards, slightly losing balance again. A part of you told you, there couldn't be anyone out there right now. It was hard to see _anything_ in this rain and darkness. Could be a trashcan or something. Maybe it was the fever that made you so afraid right now, but you thought of the goth girls and the demon. Well, and of all the other things that you now knew, existed. You sat on the bed, trying to calm down, but your heart was racing like you had just ran a marathon. Putting your hand on your chest and closing your eyes, you tried to remember how tired you actually were. Then another lightning struck. Before you knew it, you had jumped up on your feet again and toddled to the door quickly. Your hands were shaking as you felt out for the doorhandle in the dark. Some kind of odd panic had taken control of you. All you felt in this moment, was the need to get out of that room. Away from that window. As you stepped out, you didn't see much either. The short hallway that led to the living room, and the living room itself, both had no windows. You very slowly made your way along the wall, holding onto it for balance. Your fingers slid over what felt like a poster, before you reached a corner, where you finally spotted a light. It was the blueish display of the DVD-Player, that stood in a shelf a few meters away from you. It made you finally recognize the room again. As you were reconsidering what you were even planning to do here, you noticed a strange sound. It was hard to hear through the tumultuous rain, but it was constant and under different circumstances you would have called it loud. Your eyes eventually got used to the darkness, and as you slowly walked onto the white flokati, you found the source of the noise. Gabriel was laying across the sofa, one arm on his belly, the other hanging down on the ground. His head was tilted back, his mouth wide open. And he was snoring. That picture made you consider if this was all a dream. Angels snored? Seriously? Did they even need to sleep? It definitely gave him back his ordinary janitor image. But it didn't even matter right now. The wind was howling outside, making the roof shake a little and giving you that feeling of paranoia again. What if that demon was lurking out there, trying to get you? Maybe he was about to take revenge. Those girls had seen you and they probably told him about you. Your crazy thoughts made your fear grow bigger by the minute.

»... Gabriel...?«

You hissed as if someone else could hear it.

»...Gabriel?!«

No reaction.

»Gabriel!«

Now you knelt down, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it firmly.

»hrmm... nnhh...« The archangel squinched up his face, as his sleep was interrupted.

He finally blinked and moved his head your way. Your terrified expression made him raise a questioning brow.

»(Y/N)...? Why aren't you in bed...? You're searching for the toilet...?«

He moved his hand to point to the bathroom, but you shook your head nervously.

»S-someone is here!«

Gabriel's face changed in a weird way.

»Uh... what?«

»It must be him! The demon! « Fear was written all over your face.

The angel's eyes moved from left to right.

»No one is here, darling.«

»No, no, he's outside!«

He searched your face for a second before exhaling with a faint smile. Then he stood up, pulling up his boxers a little with one hand, grabbing your wrist with the other.

»Come on.«

You got goosebumps all over your body as he dragged you back to the bedroom. It felt like walking to the executioner. Somehow you would have rather stayed in the living room, with the DVD-Player. Gabriel went in and made you sit on the bed again. Then he walked over to the window and took a look.

»D-don't! He might see you!«

As he turned back to you, he chuckled softly.

»There's nobody here, sugar. Not in here and not out there.«

»But...!«

Before you could even complain, he sat beside you, touching the side of your face.

»It's the fever. You need to sleep.«

With that said, he pulled the blanket back, waiting for you to crawl beneath it. But that just wasn't right for you. You jumped off the mattress and rushed back to the door frame.

»I saw him... a-and I... I have to...« You stuttered planless and confused.

Just when you turned around, about to leave the room again, Gabriel caught you and lifted you up. Before you could blink, you were back in bed and completely covered up. The angel had a hand on your shoulder to keep you in your place. His face was serious, yet amused in a subtle way.

»You'll sleep now. No more running around, got that? Just close your eyes.«

He was about to get up, but you quickly reached for his upper arm and wrapped both of your arms around it.

»No! Don't go!«

Gabriel looked like frozen for a moment, glancing back at you with an unreadable expression. You were truly afraid and he seemed to sense that. Taking a deep breath, he leaned over to you and put on a smile.

»Believe me... there is nothing to fear.«

But that just wasn't enough to you.

»Please Gabriel...« Your lips trembled a bit.

»... don't leave me alone.«

Something in his eyes changed when you said those words. Almost as if you had hit some specific spot. His jaw moved a little, like he was chewing on the decision.

»...okay... fine.« He spoke quietly, trying to calm you down.  
»But lay down already.«

After carefully removing your hand from him and putting your head back on your pillow, he walked over to the other side of the bed. You waited and watched him, as if it wasn't safe until he was next to you. For the first time you were actually glad that he was more than a human. Most of the time since you had met him, he had been the source of all your fear. But right now, there was no-one other than him, that could have made you feel safe. You held onto your blanket, suspiciously gazing to the window. Gabriel's eyes followed yours. He sighed, pointing to the other side of the room.

»Face the wall.«

»...huh...?« You were sort of dizzy by now.

»Turn around.« He said more determined.

A little hesitatingly, you rolled on your side, now looking at the door. You would have rather had him in sight, but a second later, his arm was over you, pulling your back close to his chest. It was hard to tell for which reason your heart was racing now, but you didn't even mind. It made you feel warm and protected like never before. His nose slightly touched the tip of your ear.

»...do you really think I would let anyone harm you...?«

Your head was spinning, and there was not really an answer to that.

»... will you... stay here...?« You could hardly speak anymore.

»... I'm your guardian angel, sugar.«

Somewhere between this strange tingling sensation and your delirium, this moment was perfect. You felt Gabriel's breath on your neck while everything slowly blurred away and your tiredness pulled your eyes shut. There was nothing left but warmth, when you finally fell asleep that night.

Hey guys! sorry for the super long wait! I had to study for my final exams. But that is over now! :) Thank you for your patience! 3


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